Mystery Abroad: The Long Silence Since Our Daughters’ Trip to Saudi Arabia

When Felistus Nyambeki set off for Saudi Arabia in December 2021, she left behind hopeful promises for her family’s future.

Unfortunately, what followed was a distressing silence that left her loved ones in agony. Despite assurances of her safety upon arrival, communication abruptly ceased, leaving her family uncertain. Joyce Moraa and Frederick Morema, Felistus’s mother and uncle respectively, share their heart-wrenching ordeal in an interview. Just one week after Felistus called to confirm her safe arrival, all contact was cut off. Morema alerted Moraa after sensing trouble. sensing trouble alerted Moraa. Their attempts to reach Felistus only led to frustration, prompting them to confront Golden Arena International, the travel agency responsible for Felistus’s trip.

Their anguish grew when they discovered Felistus had travelled on a tourist visa that would expire in 90 days. Despite pleading for assistance, Caleb Mokaya, the head of the agency, remained unresponsive, leaving the family distraught and desperate for answers. Their visit to Mokaya’s office in November 2022 yielded only a phone number. It was through this call that Felistus tearfully revealed her dire situation, begging for help to escape the torment she endured in Saudi Arabia.

The reality painted by Felistus was a bleak one, filled with physical abuse and a lack of justice for voicing concerns. This left her family feeling helpless, unable to provide the assistance she needed. In a similar vein, Gladys Wanjiku Ng’ang’a’s experience mirrors Felistus’s struggles. Hoping for a better future for her family, she ventured to Saudi Arabia, only to find herself isolated and hospitalized, unable to receive medical attention due to her employer’s restrictions. Despite efforts from well-meaning individuals, Gladys’s situation remained precarious, highlighting the vulnerability of migrant workers in foreign countries.

Zipporah, Gladys’s mother, pleaded for help, echoing the desperation felt by Moraa’s mother. An investigation conducted by The Nation sheds light on the hardships faced by migrant workers and exposes the failures of agencies responsible for their well-being. Felistus and Gladys’s stories serve as powerful reminders of the risks involved in seeking employment overseas, where promises of a better life can quickly turn into exploitation and despair. Appealing to the public for assistance, the families hold onto hope as they seek justice and the return of their loved ones.