Saudi Arabia Releases Kenyan Woman's Body After 3 Months

Nominated Senator Isaac Mwaura looking at the coffin bearing remains of Agnes Wangui
Nominated Senator Isaac Mwaura looking at the coffin bearing remains of Agnes Wangui
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Nominated Senator Isaac Mwaura looking at the coffin bearing remains of Agnes Wangui

A family in Kiambu received a reprieve on Thursday, December 10 after Saudi Arabia released the body of their kin which had been detained for 3 months

The late Agnes Wangui had been working in Saudi Arabia and visited her parents in Kenya in 2020 after many years.

However, upon returning to her work, she was found dead on September 13, 2020. 

Senator Isaac Mwaura receiving the body of Agnes Wangui who died in Saudi Arabia
Senator Isaac Mwaura receiving the body of Agnes Wangui who died in Saudi Arabia
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For three months, her remains were detained in Arrar, some 1,200 kilometres away from Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh. The family kept was kept in the dark about what was happening.

Nominated Senator Issac Mwaura was informed of the issue and took time to visit the family. 

“They were in deep pain, especially the mother, only pleading to have the body back in order to give her a decent burial.

“Noting what needed to be done, I swung into action, and at some point, some officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were at a loss, and I had to escalate the matter to higher authorities,” Mwaura stated.

The family received her body in the wee hours of Thursday morning ahead of the burial on Friday, December 11.

In the past, there have been countless cases of harassment, violence, torture and starvation of Kenyan women working in Saudi Arabia. 

Many of them go to the Middle East to work but oftentimes they end up being exploited in domestic servitude or forced manual labour.

A number of them have died in the hands of their employers among them Rahab Njeri who passed on in June. 

“Rahab Njeri Wachira, died in hospital on 14 June 2020 and not while seeking assistance at the Embassy. This notwithstanding, the death of a Kenyan abroad, irrespective of the circumstances, is always a concern to the Ministry both at Headquarters and to our Embassies on the ground,” a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated. 

Senator Isaac Mwaura receiving the body of Agnes Wangui who died in Saudi Arabia
Senator Isaac Mwaura receiving the body of Agnes Wangui who died in Saudi Arabia
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