Family wants kin back from Saudi Arabia
A family in Mombasa is seeking the government’s intervention to help repatriate their sick kin, allegedly held by her immediate employer in Jeddah city of Saudi Arabia.
Francina Magati, 39, a mother of three, is stranded in Saudi Arabia after her employer declined to release her travel documents back home to get specialised treatment after falling sick.
According to Teresia Mweni, the mother of the stranded lady who lives in Miritini, Mombasa county, says her daughter called her two days ago, complaining of sickness, but her boss has denied her travel back to the country.
Francisca left the country in 2019 through a renown travel Agency in Mombasa to work as in the Arab country, but her stay has been marred by complaints and mistreatment from her immediate employer.
The family claims that she developed the unknown illness as a result of physical abuse and being denied food on many occasions by her employer.
Small fraction
According to the family, their kin has not received any help from Kenyan embassy in Saudia, despite their efforts to reach the offices from Kenya.
The family made the plea at Haki Africa Offices in Mombasa, where they called on the government to address the plight of their kin suffering at the hands of a rogue employer.
Haki Africa rapid response officer Mathia Shipeta condemned the incident, and asked the employer to ensure the stranded woman gets her exit documents to allow her travel for specialised treatment at her home country.
“Despite the fact that we are facing tough economic times as a country, that doesn’t warrant any employer to frustrate and mistreat his or her employee.
This is a criminal act that should be addressed by the Kenyan government to aid its citizens in foreign countries” said Shipeta.
According to Shipeta, the case just represents a small fraction of Kenyans suffering in the hands of their employers in the Middle East condemning the Kenyan government for its laxity while Kenyans suffer outside their mother land.
The officer warns Kenyans against travelling to the Middle East, which has a history of mistreating Kenyans seeking domestic jobs.
