There are stories of people who left Kenya in search of better opportunities in the Gulf countries, but never returned.
Many families and friends have garnered media attention, appealing to the government to help bring their loved ones back home. They seek assistance in locating their beloved family members whether deceased or alive. Diana Chepkemoi’s family was one of these cases. She dropped out of university in 2018 to go to Saudi Arabia for work, but her health and well-being deteriorated.
While still working in the Gulf country, Diana shared photos online to save herself from the heavy brunt of torture and eventually managed to return home to Kenya. A year later, she looks healthy and happy, captioning one of her Instagram posts with “Happy days are here again.”
In an Instagram post on October 2022, Chepkemoi credited Rosemary and Kevin for pulling her out of depression and self-hatred. She said that they reminded her that success starts with a positive mindset, which gave her the courage to speak up. Upon returning from Saudi Arabia in 2022, Meru University offered to assist Chepkemoi by covering her academic fees and providing her with a job at the school library, allowing her to support herself as she pursues her studies.
“Rosemary and Kevin pulled me out of the dark pits of depression and self-hatred. She constantly reminded me we first win with our minds. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to have the courage and strength to speak out.” she said.
Advocacy organizations are worried that the abuse of domestic workers in Gulf countries, like Saudi Arabia, has not been adequately addressed, particularly after the Kenyan government took action to help its citizens find employment abroad. Although there is no recent public information available regarding the deaths of Kenyan migrant workers, the foreign ministry of Kenya had in June reported that at least 89 Kenyans, mainly domestic workers, died in Saudi Arabia between 2020 and 2021.
