Meru family pleads for help to bring home mother who died in Saudi Arabia

The family of the late Faith Kinya from Gikumene Village in Meru County who died in February this year is calling on the government to help them in airlifting their kin’s body from Saudi Arabia to Kenya so that she can be accorded a befitting send-off.

The late Kinya had been residing in Saudi Arabia for four years and was in constant communication with her family based in Kenya.

Her family, however, lost communication with their kin in February only for them to learn through a Good Samaritan’s Facebook page last month that she was admitted to a hospital in Saudi Arabia where she passed on three days later. 

Her friends and family resorted to coming up with a WhatsApp group and Harambee to raise over Ksh.800,000 to repatriate her body back home for burial but have not managed to raise the said amount for the past month. 

The bills, they say, have kept on accumulating and are now unbearable for the family to raise. 

“…Tunaomba marafiki na watu wote wa heri njema watu saidie tuweze kupumzisha mama yetu kwa amani na tutashukuru. Tangu hayo mambo ni almost 4 months sai na tumejaribu kwa uwezo wetu; tumefanya harambee na bado pesa haijafika,” said her son.

“Sasa tulikua tunaomba tusaidiwe na yeyote tu atatusikia. Pesa ni 800,000 yote… tunaomba serikali yetu na rais wetu pia atusaidie atleast mwili ifike Kenya na tuweze kumpumzisha roho zitulie.”

The family is calling on the government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, well-wishers and the Embassy to ensure they have a communication link with those living or working in Saudi so that in case of such Emergencies, the families in Kenya can know who to call and know the whereabouts of their kin.