A greek storyteller, Aesop once stated that every truth has two sides; it is as well to look at both before we commit ourselves to either.
In the case of Mary Wanjiru Waweru, her tale reveals a different side of the coin that emanates from Kenyans who have worked in Saudi Arabia.
In particular, she worked for eight years in the gulf country and described the experience as rejuvenating. While speaking on the Lynn Ngugi Network, she narrated her experiences in the gulf country that ultimately led to her building a Ksh2 million house for her parents.
Born and bred in Limuru in 1992, Waweru hailed from a humble background as both her parents did menial jobs to fend for the family. As the second born in a family of eight, she aspired to work hard to elevate the family's impoverished status.
After completing her secondary education at Kinyogori high school, she decided to delve more into employment opportunities in the gulf country.
"I overheard that my neighbour had travelled 'abroad' and I was instantly interested. My sister finished school first and went to Saudi Arabia and due to the nature of her life, I was interested to have my own experience and work in Saudi Arabia," she stated.
Waweru's father supported her throughout the journey and in 2012, she travelled to Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia.
Narrating her experience, she acknowledged that it was not all rosy as she encountered several challenges including lack of training on the usage of electronics, language barrier, and culture shock.
Despite reports of mistreatment and harassment in the gulf country circulating online, Waweru was a hard worker and remained disciplined throughout her time.
"I helped raise their baby from three months to two years in my first contract. I never experienced any abuse in Saudi Arabia during my two years and eight months tenure."
When the contract expired, Waweru pointed out that her employer declined to review the salary should she agree to extend her contract. At the time, Waweru was earning Ksh20,000 per month.
"They declined to increase my salary upon the extension of my contract. I requested them to release me back home so that I can further my studies. I had to sweet-talk them for them to process my documents without any issues. Fortunately, they bought me clothes, suitcase, and took me to the airport," she stated.
Upon landing back in the country, Waweru noted that the tough economic times drove her to seek a second contract in Saudi Arabia. She went back to the agent who sorted her travel documents and everything was set. She secured a five-year contract where the monthly salary was Ksh31,000.
The 30-year-old noted that a lot of hard work and dedication is needed to thrive in the gulf country.
"It's not a lazy person's world there, so while there, do your work, keep the phone away, Your boss doesn't have to call you to do your work while you're on Tiktok or FB. The moment the boss notices such behaviour, he takes away your phone."
"My younger sister went to Bahrain and worked for two years. We saved alongside my sisters and were able to construct rentals. When my contract expired and I had to come back home, my employer organised a farewell party for me. The boss was in tears and pleaded that I should not go."
Through her savings, the sisters surprised their parents with a Ksh2 million house in Limuru. They also set up a business for their father which involved the importation of animal feeds from Uganda and selling them at a profitable margin. They pumped in Ksh300,000 to kick start the business. Waweru also set up a boutique along Thika road to supplement their income.
"I have also referred more than 30 Kenyans to Saudi Arabia through the agent who helped me. I can safely say that the opportunity has helped me to raise fees for my siblings and also cater for my family."
She admitted that several Kenyans suffered in the gulf country but also argued that certain behaviours and traits could have led to differences between them and their employers.
"We had formed a Whatsapp group with other Kenyans working in Saudi Arabia and there are some behaviours that would lead them to horrific tales; breaching of the contract, to escaping the home to pursue other profitable ventures. This usually happens and it leads to the employer filing a report."
"My dad had warned me that should anything happen to me, or I get lost, I was on my own as no agent would help me. There are good and bad employers, but that is not limited to Saudi Arabia. Sometimes, we don't see other situations which happen in other countries. 90 per cent of those going to Saudi Arabia have success stories but the media focuses on the bad tales."
