A ban on hiring of workers to the Middle East countries will be lifted soon, Saudi Arabia Ambassador in Kenya, Ghorm Malhan, has revealed. Speaking during the country's 82 independence day celebrations in Nairobi yesterday, the envoy said negotiations on framework on recruitment procedures were at an advanced stage and a memorandum of understanding will be signed to lift the ban.

On June 22, Kenya's Foreign Affairs political and diplomatic secretary, Patrick Wamoto, through a circular, suspended recruitment of workers to the Middle East after series of reports of cases of abuses. "Every worker across the world needs protection. We can only protect them fully through a proper well negotiated and agreed upon framework on which the two countries are now fine tuning so as to improve our labour relations. It is only a matter of time to see signatures appended on this deal," Ghorm said.

He said the pact will also protect Kenyans seeking employment in Saudi Arabia from unregistered recruitment agencies which have been the main cause of conflicts between workers and Saudi employers. "These unscrupulous agencies, have been taking advantage of Kenyans, by giving them false information on the jobs. For instance one may be promised a job as a teacher whereas her real employer gave the agency a contract to recruit for him a domestic worker, on arrival in Saudi and is deployed to carry put house works conflict ensues and this is where the problem begins. But this will help lock out the fake agencies," he said.

He said already they were over 40,000 Kenyan workers in various sectors in Saudi Arabian and cases of abuses were isolated and occasionally exaggerated by the Kenyan media. Ghorm further said his government will sign a extra pacts with the government on tourism and livestock, that will help attract middle east tourists into the country as well enable exportation of beef products to the Arab markets.

On Somalia the diplomat called on the international community to intensify their financial and logistical support to the new government to enable it rebuild its already collapsed institutions and infrastructure and as well in passifying the country from militant groups.