Embu family appeals for help to repatriate remains of kin who died in Saudi Arabia

The family learnt of the death of Frida Kageni, 31, through a phone call from the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs on July 7, informing them that she had died while receiving treatment at a Saudi Arabian hospital.

According to the family, Frida, who was working as a house help, had been unwell since early this year and was in and out of hospital until June, when her condition deteriorated and she was diagnosed with meningitis.

So far, the family has been unable to make any meaningful progress in bringing her body home, as they cannot meet the logistical costs involved, including air transport.

It is now a race against time. The family has been given until July 21 to repatriate her remains, failing which she will be buried locally in Saudi Arabia, where she died.

Relatives and friends are still struggling to come to terms with the loss of a daughter they described as the main pillar and breadwinner of the family.

Her mother, Christine Irunda, said Frida had helped educate her four siblings, and her death has left a huge gap. This is compounded by the fact that her husband, Samuel Murage, cannot provide for the family after a broken leg left him unable to work.

"She left here seven years ago in search of a good life, and now that it has come to this, all we can ask is to be assisted in having her body brought back home and buried at her place of birth," she pleaded.

Murage said the family faces a heavy burden, not only in facilitating the burial but also in caring for the four siblings Frida supported, as well as her nine-year-old daughter.

"As we speak, we have less than two weeks to bring her body back home, and that is why we are appealing to well-wishers to come through for us before it is too late," he said.

Her younger brother, Brian Mugambi, said he is uncertain how he will complete his university studies now that she is gone.