A family from Kisii county is seeking help so that  their daughter,  Elizabeth Kemunto Nyamarika, can return to the country from Saudi Arabia, where she is working as a house keeper.

According to her sister identified as Sarah, Kemunto has been ailing with stomach complications but neither her agency or her employers is willing to release her.

Kemunto says that she went to the Gulf towards the end of June 2023, in a bid to raise funds so that she can complete her course in Nurse Clinic Assessment.

The 30-year old, who was working in Mombasa prior to the job in Saudi Arabia, left the country without the knowledge of her parents.

“I didn’t tell them when I started the process of moving to Saudi Arabia. I only told them after a month or so ,” she said. Her mother was however okay with it provided that she found a nice place.

Kemunto wants to return home to seek medical attention because her bosses have allegedly denied her the right.

“I have been in Saudi Arabia for like 5 months now but I have been sick, I have tried to speak to my agency to return me to Kenya but they have refused. My stomach aches , I can’t have long calls, I need help to return to Kenya and get treated,” she said.

“I underwent a scan, my stool was tested and it turned positive. I was given some medication and told that I have a lot of colon gas and infections on the small intestine. I was told that I wouldn’t get better if I don’t undergo coloscopy,” she said.

Kemunto alleges that her boss have threatened to lock her up for two years and confiscate her phone if she persists with the sickness issue.

“My bosses said that they don’t want to hear anything about my sickness. I gave them money to get me more medication but they said it was not available in the chemist. I am in pain and they want me to work, they said that if they hear am sick, they will lock me up for two years without food or phone.”

Zubeddah, the woman in charge of the agency that facilitated Kemunto’s travel to the gulf however says that  she should be honest and communicate if she wants to quit the job.

According to her, she was taken to the hospital and all the tests came out negative.

“When I talked to her, there is a point she was saying she has cancer. When I asked her for the hospital report  she claimed it’s period pains. The thing is she just has to be honest and tell us the truth, if she is sick we are ready to help her but she was taken to the hospital, tests have indicated that she is not sick.

“She should say she doesn’t want the job, she should not use sickness, because there, she is taken to hospital, the expenses are catered for, it is a lot of money, and it turns out that she is lying,” the agent said.

She also said that Kemunto wants to breach the 2-year contract she signed, and therefore she will have to cater for the air ticket on her own.