‘God, save me before I die here in Saudi Arabia’

When Lucy Wambui left Kenya to Saudi Arabia for work in May, her thoughts were how she would help improve her family’s standard of living. 

Her hope, as the firstborn daughter, was that her earnings would help uplift her single mother and two siblings.

But that is not the case.

The 30-year-old is now fighting for her life in a foreign country thousands of kilometres away, all alone, with no family member to comfort or console her in a Saudi Arabia hospital.

She has been admitted in the hospital for three weeks and has undergone three operations after suffering from an unknown stomach ailment. 

In a heartbreaking video doing rounds in social media, Lucy can be seen vomiting in a one minute clip as she writhes in pain with no one to help her.

The photos show a sickly emaciated lady lying in a hospital bed with dried, cracked lips.

To add to her woes, her employer is detaining her. demanding Sh450,000 refund alleging that she paid an agent Sh600,000 for her to go to Saudi Arabia to work for them.

Back home in Matithi, Kambirwa in Kiharu constituency, Murang'a County, her family is in agony as efforts to bring her back seem futile.

At home, her mother, sister and neighbours sit under a mango tree, deep in thoughts.

They say they had watched the video but do not know how to help her as efforts to bring her home have been futile.

The mother, Margaret Njoki, says her daughter was 'very' healthy when she left the country.

But now, the once healthy and beautiful Lucy is unrecognizable.

Ms Njoki says that her daughter left the country in May but she fell sick towards the end of November this year.

She decried that efforts to repatriate her daughter to receive treatment in Kenya have proven futile since her employer is not ready to release her.

She says that her daughters employer claims that she paid Sh660,000 to acquire Lucy’s services through an agent and is still owed Sh450,000 after deductions of the five months she has worked for them.

“We are very concerned because if they are demanding compensation, we don’t know if they will ask us to pay for the hospital bill too,” lamented Ms Njoki as she fought to control her emotions.

Lucy's sister, Monica Nyambura, say all they want is to have their sick kin back to the country so that they can take care of her.

'We fear my sister Lucy will most likely be forced to continue working despite her poor health as the employer says she must recover her money spent on her," added a distraught Ms Nyambura.

A cousin to Lucy, Sarah Njeri, said she had been in contact with her when she fell sick.

Njeri said her cousin was taken to hospital after family members sought help at the Saudi Arabian embassy in Nairobi.

“Last month, Lucy informed me that she was sick but the employer was not willing to take her to hospital. The employer later took her to the health facility where she is currently admitted after the Saudi Arabian embassy intervened,” narrated Njeri.

She further said that her cousin was for some days admitted in ICU adding that after a CT scan was done, doctors claimed they could not find what she was suffering from.

“On Wednesday, last week, we were informed that she had regained consciousness and had been taken off the ICU,” said Njeri.

She said the employer has not yet informed them the name of the hospital Lucy is admitted in or revealed the ailment she is suffering from.

“She had informed us that she has issues with her digestive system and that her colon is inflamed but the last message we received from the employer is that she has breathing issues,” she noted.

According to Njeri, Lucy has been of poor health since she went to Saudi Arabia and her family and friends are now pleading for help to have her repatriated so that they can care for her at home.

She said the employer has been demanding to be compensated the amount they paid for her before they can allow her to leave.

Their neighbor, Stephen Kimani says Lucy travelled to Saudi after failing to find a job in Kenya. 

'It is sad that the girl left for greener pastures with good intentions of  lifting her family from poverty is now stranded in Saudi Arabia with no one to help her," said Kimani

One of Lucy’s aunt, Joyce Njeri said the family has been grief stricken with the news of her severe illness and is happy that she is improving.

She observed that Saudi Arabia is a far-off country and they have no ability to help her, calling relevant government agencies to help in repatriating their kin back to the country.

They inform me the Kenyan employment agent is unavailable by phone and has gone underground. 

'We have been to Nairobi to trace the agent's offices but they closed down. We have been to Saudi Arabian Embassy and the Ministry of Labour offices in Nairobi to seek help from the government but none is forthcoming," says the mother. 

The only prayer from this family is for the government to intervene and ensure their daughter comes back home alive.

With increasing cases of Kenyans being exploited, some Kenyan migrant workers in the Gulf never make it back home alive after being duped by some unscrupulous agents amid calls for the Kenyan government to protect its citizens in the Gulf.

MPs want the government to prevail upon countries in the gulf to treat Kenyans with dignity.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs document shows many Kenyans work in the Middle East as security guards, drivers, masons and cleaners.