"Pakistan blames agents for deserting nationals now stranded in Nairobi"

Employment agents in Nairobi and Islamabad who have pocketed more than Sh6.3 billion should be blamed for the uncoordinated entry of thousands of Pakistani nationals into the country, Embassy officials have said. Pakistani High Commissioner to Kenya Saqlain Syedah spoke for the first time yesterday, after the government announced a crackdown on the foreigners, explaining that her countrymen are not interested in working in Kenya. “The individuals are not at fault. They were brought here legally,” Syedah told The Sunday Standard at the Pakistan Embassy in Nairobi...

According to Syedah, the Pakistanis have valid travel documents and will all travel to Saudi Arabia, where they have secured menial jobs. She went on to blame rogue employment agents in Nairobi and Islamabad for the mess. And as the migrant workers faced the wrath of police, those responsible for bringing them into the city have been enjoying huge profits paid to them by the migrants seeking employment.