Trapped in Saudi Arabia: Diana Chepkemoi now in safe hands, set to return to Kenya on next flight

Diana Chepkemoi, a 24-year-old Kenyan who was reported to have been detained in Saudi Arabia is now in safe hands and is set to return home on the next flight.

Speaking to Citizen Digital, a source from the Saudi Arabia Embassy in Kenya confirmed that Chepkemoi is due to return home on the next available flight as her exit visa is being processed.

The source further divulged that Chepkemoi is currently in hospital as she undergoes medical tests.

The photos sparked uproar among Kenyans, who called for immediate action from relevant authorities to ensure she returns home. 

Her family also pleaded with the government to help bring back their daughter, claiming that she is detained against her will and is without medication despite her health status.

Chepkemoi, a student at the Meru University, deferred her studies and travelled to Saudi Arabia in June 2021, in search of employment to help her family and raise school fees.

"She was in good health jovial and full of optimism," said her family.

The communication was however cut short a few months later when she learnt that Chepkemoi's phone was confiscated and that she was being denied access to medication despite her deteriorating health.

Cheptoo said her sister is under 24-hour surveillance, and communicating with her has never been feasible.

“You could tell something was clearly wrong, she said the boss was mistreating her, she was ill, couldn’t access hospital and her health was deteriorating quickly. The boss would only give her pain killers," she said.

“We tried to talk to the boss and he said Diana is yet to complete her working days as per the contract she signed and is now holding her hostage. Once you see those photos circulating online, you will agree that my sister needs all the help she can get immediately, I am scared she might not make it home alive,” she lamented.   

Cheptoo narrated that Chepkemoi's employer, through a phone call, dismissed the harassment claims calling her a liar and a tireless complainer who makes excuses to avoid work and is pretending to be sick.

The employer is reported to be an influential individual from a prominent family in the gulf country and only the ambassador to Saudi Arabia can intervene.

Susan Makungu of Ghazaan recruitment office, the agent who facilitated Chepkemoi's employment in Saudi Arabia, said the case is genuine and urgent.

She confirmed that she is aware of the plight of Chepkemoi but her efforts to bring her back have been thwarted by the employer. She gave her commitment to help Chepkemoi return home.

"I am ready to pay the air ticket, I am waiting for foreign affairs and the Kenyan embassy to go to the house and give her an exit. She is not lying she is speaking the truth, she is sick and they are mistreating her,” she told Citizen Digital.

The Ministry of Labor and that of Foreign Affairs have been blamed for turning a blind eye on the matter of Kenyan immigrants who for long have been going through immense suffering in a foreign land.