Diana Chepkemoi’s nightmare finally over as she arrives from Saudi Arabia
Ms Diana Chepkemoi, the young Kenyan woman who hit the headlines last week after it emerged that she being held hostage by her employee in Saudi Arabia, has finally arrived in the country.
Ms Chepkemoi landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) a few minutes before 1pm and was received by her family and friends.
Speaking to the media upon arrival, Ms Chepkemoi made a passionate appeal to the government to intervene on behalf of other Kenyans who are undergoing similar hardships in Saudi Arabia.
“Kenyans are suffering there… I’m just pleading with the government to do something about it… it’s a shame to be told there is nothing the government can do,” she said.
Also read: Family in panic, cannot reach Diana Chepkemoi who is stuck in Saudi Arabia
Ms Chepkemoi’s ordeal was revealed to the public after photos, in which she haggard and malnourished, were shared online. She is reported to have left for Saudi Arabia in January last year to seek employment as a domestic worker.
Saudi Arabia’s Embassy in Kenya refuted claims that Ms Chepkemoi was being abused by her employer.
In a statement on social media, the Embassy instead suggested the said Ms Chepkemoi had shown ill health because she was suffering from some natural ailment which it did not go ahead and disclose.
The foreign mission also stressed that the Kingdom has a policy and does not only violate human dignity but is also keen to protect full rights of residents living on it’s lands of various nationalities.
The statement was released amid confirmation that Chepkemoi, a final year student at the Meru University, is trapped in Saudi Arabia with reports of ill treatment by her employment.
Also read: Tanzanians praise KOT for rallying behind Diana Chepkemoi
The employer also denied harming Chepkemoi and claimed that she is a pathological liar who wants to ruin her.
Ms Chepkemoi’s plight saw Kenyans of goodwill piling pressure on the government take immediate action to address the situation.
But even after the government yielded to public pressure, Chepkemoi’s family was thrown into a panic after they were unable to reach her either by phone or by messages.
At the time, Ms Chepkemoi’s sister said the family was only seeing tweets and a section of the media reporting that she had been rescued from her horrid work condition.
Also read: Saudi Arabia Embassy defends Diana Chepkemoi’s boss, denies abuse claims