A family in Kisii County is pleading with the government to help transport the body of their 24-year-old daughter back home from Saudi Arabia.
The deceased, Janet Nyamburi, flew to Saudi Arabia on August 2019, in search for greener pastures, and ultimately worked as a driver in Al Hofuf State before her death.
Jared Oyugi, the elder brother to the deceased, noted that the family was informed of his sister's demise on Friday, October 9, by Nyamburi's manager.
"We do not know her employer's name. He is the person who informed us of her death through a text message, saying she died of Covid-19 at a hospital in Saudi Arabia where he had taken her for treatment, Oyugi told Nation.
According to the manager, paperwork was ready to transport the body back to the country. The family however, disregarded these claims, stating that their efforts to follow up on the body at the Saudi Arabian embassy has proved to be futile.
"He (the manager) told us that paper work was ready, but there was no plane to transport her body back home because of her Covid-19 status. But we are wondering why they cannot put it in a body bag?" Oyugi questioned.
This dire situation puts the whole family in limbo as they wait to give their daughter a proper send off.
"They have kept me in the dark for the past one month. I am beginning to wonder whether they have already buried my daughter," Mary Bonareri, mother to the deceased, lamented.
For the past one month, mourners have thronged the family's residence in Kerina Sub County after news of Nyamburi's demise broke.
The family is counting on the government to help them have the body of the daughter transported to Kenya.
There have been similar cases involving Kenyan women who die while working in Saudi Arabia. Some of them have died under mysterious circumstances.
Just recently, a mother from Elburgon, Nakuru County, appealed for help from the government to bring back the body of her daughter who died in Saudi Arabia after going there in January 2020.
The family alleged that prior to her death, Alice Awuor, had indicated that she was being mistreated by her employer.
The Kenyan government has continuously warned its citizens against traveling to the Middle East countries aided by unscrupulous employment agencies.
