As the allure of big money and better living conditions excite Kenyans to seek greener pastures outside the country, more than 30 Kenyans are currently stranded in Saudi Arabia.
The Kenyans from Nakuru County who allegedly left the country a month ago are apparently starving in a transitional detention camp. They have called on the government to intervene and rescue them.
According to an impeccable source, the women are living in deplorable conditions with no food, no proper sleeping place or basic requirements.
A text message from one of the stranded Kenyans said they are being held hostage by their kidnappers in a secluded place.
“Living conditions here are terrible. We want to go home and we ask our government to come to our rescue,” she said in the message.
She however declined to be named for fear of repercussions.
Distressed relatives of the captives who held a press briefing on Sunday said the women were promised lucrative jobs in Dubai a month ago but they only realised they were heading to Saudi Arabia when they were already in the aeroplane.
“They were promised well-paying jobs. The agents who linked them up with their would be employers told them they would earn salaries of up to Sh300,000 in a period of three months of their stay there,” said one of the relatives.
The relatives added that three weeks after their travel, communication became a problem as phones of their loved ones went dead.
“Communication with those in detention is a problem. However, we are able to talk to some who have hidden their phones as the rest were confiscated by the captors,” said a relative.
They said their efforts to seek support from the International Police department (lnterpol) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nairobi have not borne fruit. Some officers have allegedly told the relatives that Saudi Arabia is not among the commonwealth countries posing a challenge in their rescue efforts.
The families are now appealing to President Uhuru Kenyatta to intervene and speed up the rescue mission.