A family from Njukiri Village in Manyatta Constituency, Embu County, is appealing to the government and well-wishers for urgent help to bring home the body of their kin who died while working in Saudi Arabia a week ago.
The family learned of the death of Frida Kageni, 31, through a phone call from the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs on July 7, informing them that she had died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Saudi Arabia. She had been working there as a house help.
According to relatives, Frida had been unwell since early this year, moving in and out of hospital until June, when her condition worsened and she was diagnosed with meningitis.
The family says it has been unable to make progress toward repatriating her remains, as it cannot afford the logistical costs involved, including air transport. They now face a strict deadline: if the body is not repatriated by July 21, she will be buried locally in Saudi Arabia.
Frida’s mother, Christine Irunda, described her daughter as the family’s main pillar and breadwinner, who had supported the education of her four younger siblings. She said Frida left home seven years ago in search of a better life. “All we can ask is to be assisted in having her body brought back home and buried at her place of birth,” she pleaded.
Frida’s husband, Samuel Murage, said the burden facing the family is heavy, as he is currently unable to work after suffering a broken leg, leaving him unable to provide for their nine-year-old daughter or Frida’s siblings. “We have less than two weeks to bring her body back home, and that is why we are appealing to well-wishers to come through for us before it is too late,” he said.
Frida’s younger brother, Brian Mugambi, said he is now uncertain whether he will be able to complete his university education following her death.
The case adds to a growing number of appeals involving Kenyans who have died while working abroad, many of which have highlighted the financial and logistical hurdles families face in bringing loved ones home, alongside broader concerns over the welfare of Kenyan workers in Gulf states.
The family says it remains hopeful that the government and members of the public will step in before the July 21 deadline lapses.
