A family from Bogeka Mariba village in Kitutu Chache, Kisii County, is appealing to well-wishers to help raise Ksh800,000 to repatriate the body of their daughter from Baghdad, Iraq, more than a month after her demise.
The deceased, 32-year-old Felista Kemunto, passed away in Iraq after falling ill while working as a domestic worker.
According to her mother, she observed her daughter's health deteriorating, as evidenced by her impaired speech, shortly before her demise. Despite being advised to seek medical treatment while still in Iraq, she reportedly chose to wait until she returned to Kenya.
Felista was scheduled to travel home on January 4, after spending three years working in Baghdad. However, days before her planned return, her condition worsened.
Her mother recalled that during their last conversation on January 2, Felista's tongue appeared swollen, and her voice had changed significantly.
"She was supposed to arrive on January 4. She told me, 'Mum, you will come to pick me up with the children.' When I spoke to her on the 2nd, her speech had changed. I asked her to seek treatment there, but she insisted she would do so once she came home," her mother said.
Felista passed away a few days later, leaving her family devastated and struggling to meet the high cost of repatriating her body. The family says they have so far managed to raise only Ksh50,000 through local contributions.
Holding a contribution book, Felista's father said the family is under pressure from her employer abroad. "This book shows all the contributions we have received. My daughter's boss is telling us that after two months, they will cremate her body if the money is not paid," he said.
The family says the required Ksh800,000 is an amount they cannot raise on their own, estimating it would take them up to two years to mobilise such funds. They have appealed to government authorities for assistance but claim no official has visited or offered support since they raised the matter.
Recent government data and investigative reports indicate that hundreds of Kenyan migrant workers, most of them women, have passed away abroad over the past few years, with Iraq among the countries reporting such cases.
Human rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns over medical neglect, harsh working conditions, and delayed responses when Kenyan workers fall ill overseas.
The government has recently introduced reforms and expanded consular services, such as 24/7 consular support, and has also implemented Mobile Consular Services to reach citizens in various regions directly.
