Nairobi News

The ex-employer of the Kenyan woman who met a tragic death in her room in Saudi Arabia has stepped forward to provide insight into the situation, revealing the reasons behind the family being kept uninformed for three months.

The remains of Ruth Nyathira Njuguna, who passed away in March 2023, finally arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Thursday, August 24, 2023.

The family was only informed of her death three months after her employment contract had ended. The family finds this very bizarre.

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The deceased’s body was preserved in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for over three months when the family was informed of what had transpired. This news put an even bigger strain on Ms Njuguna’s mother, who had since been ill.

Ms Njuguna’s family, hailing from Gatundu South, had been kept in the dark about her passing until early this month.

The lack of timely information had placed an immense burden on the family, compounded by the deceased’s remains being held in Riyadh for over three months.

In an earnest plea, her brother Gerald Njuguna has earlier called upon compassionate Kenyans to contribute and assist in repatriating Ms Njuguna’s body, emphasizing the need for justice for her sister’s unexplained death.

Startling revelations from a close friend of the deceased, Phelsiah Moraa, raised questions about the circumstances surrounding Ms Njuguna’s death.

Moraa said she died in March, but her employer in Saudi Arabia had not conveyed this tragic news to her family.

Nairobi News contacted the employer via WhatsApp, and the communication was curt and cryptic.

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The employer merely mentioned that Ms Njuguna had been found dead in her room, with no further elaboration on the events leading to her demise.

Alarmingly, it came to light that the employer always arranged communication between Ms Njuguna and her family using the employer’s personal phone number.

She did not have her own means of contacting anyone outside her workstation. The family told Nairobi News that all communication abruptly ceased in March when her untimely demise occurred.

This reporter used the same number to contact the employer for comment on the matter.

When questioned regarding allegations that the employer had requested the family’s permission to bury the body of Ms Njuguna’s remains in Riyadh and offer compensation, the employer swiftly brushed off the inquiry with a terse response.

“Ruth has come to you, and most importantly bye,” the employer conveyed, leaving more questions than answers in the wake of this heartbreaking situation.

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Offering their defense, the employer, who remained anonymous and declined to disclose their identity to us, asserted that they had informed the recruitment agent about the unfortunate passing of their employee back in March.

Nairobi News is working at reaching out to the agent Tatan East Africa Agency, the recruitment company that linked her to the employer, to get their side of the story, but at the time of going to press, they had not gotten back to us.

They were also unavailable on the phone, nor do they have an office in Nairobi.

Investigations by this reporter reveal that the company is still operating and recruits employees both locally and internationally.

They were issued a certificate of operation on November 11, 2022, and it is scheduled to expire on November 16, 2023.

Ms Moraa expressed the urgency for the Kenyan government’s intervention to ensure justice for Ms Njuguna.

She shed light on the fact that the family had been alerted to Ms Njuguna’s passing only in August, when her employment contract had ended.

Also read: Diana Chepkemoi: I was working for a royal family in Saudi Arabia