Two Kenyan nationals, John Maina and James Kariuki, are still stranded in the United Arab Emirates, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has been informed.
Speaking during the question session in Parliament on Wednesday, April 30, Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris, Narok North MP Pareiyo Agnes, and Githunguri MP Wamuchomba Gathoni raised the alarm on the circumstances these Kenyans had been held, revealing that John Maina was missing.
According to MP Pareiyo, Maina was invited to Dubai for a job on May 15, 2023, but disappeared on June 25, 2023, with no traces of him anywhere until today.
''It is almost two years now, and nobody knows the whereabouts of the young man; the parents have been tirelessly searching for him with no success,'' Pareiyo told the CS.
According to Passaris and Wamuchomba, Kariuki was arraigned in court and jailed for two years for being involved in electronic fraud; however, while he was serving his jail term, another crime was committed using his documents, leading to a fresh arraignment and detention.
''He is supposed to pay a Ksh2 million bond to be able to get out; however, he has no papers, he has no visa, and he cannot afford all this,'' Wamuchomba revealed.
On August 13, 2020, UAE authorities arrested Kariuki along with a Ugandan national, accusing them of electronic fraud involving Ksh41.6 million (1,180,500 dirhams AED).
Prosecutors alleged that an individual impersonating Kariuki had received Ksh11.4 million (AED325,000) as part of the scheme.
Despite his vehement denials and assertions that he never received any funds, Kariuki was convicted on September 15, 2020, on charges of "seizure by using information technology".
He was sentenced to two years in prison at the Sharjah Correctional and Penal Institution, followed by deportation. His pleas that his identity had been fraudulently used were disregarded by the court.
The MPs now want the Ministry to help Kariuki be released from jail and returned to the country. For Maina, the MPs want the Ministry to help find him.
Speaking on the cases, Mudavadi revealed that the Ministry was aware of Kariuki's case, and efforts are underway to enable Kariuki to have legal support from Kenya. Mudavadi, however, directed MP Pareiyo to submit more details on Maina to enable the Ministry to open an investigation into his case.
