By Suleiman Mbatiah
A Kenyan woman who lost contact with her family while working in Saudi Arabia has been reunited with them after a two-year ordeal, a case human rights advocates point to as emblematic of the widespread suffering of Kenyan migrant workers in the Gulf.
The family of Gladys Monareri publicly credited former Kenya Civil Servants Union Secretary General Dr. Isaac Kinity for facilitating her return, using the moment to call for urgent government intervention to protect its citizens abroad.
According to her father, Wilson Kigonge, Monareri traveled to Saudi Arabia in 2020 seeking employment to support her family. Unbeknownst to her employers, she was in the early stages of pregnancy. While her employer was reportedly accommodating, she fell critically ill six months into her pregnancy and was hospitalized.
“After that, all communication stopped. We tried everything, calling, contacting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Saudi Embassy, but we hit a dead end,” Kigonge told reporters.
It was at this point that Dr. Kinity learned of the case and intervened through embassy channels. “Dr. Kinity came to our aid, and my daughter was found together with her newborn,” Kigonge stated. Dr. Kinity facilitated Monareri’s travel back to Kenya and covered her subsequent medical expenses. The family was reunited at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in 2021.
The family and social workers present at the press briefing framed Monareri’s story not as an isolated incident, but as a common tragedy.
“Our embassies should act and save our children. Many of our children are suffering in Saudi,” Kigonge pleaded. His sentiments were echoed by his wife, Moraa Kigonge, and social worker Susan Mwangi, who assists youth in obtaining national IDs.
Dr. Kinity connected the issue directly to Kenya’s domestic problems, citing rampant corruption and a lack of employment as the primary drivers forcing young Kenyans to seek work abroad under often dangerous conditions.
“The looting of public funds is what deprives youth of employment and livelihood,” Kinity asserted. “Imagine that today Kenya is losing Kshs 3 billion to corruption every day… This has led to many Kenyan youths to leave Kenya in search of green pastures, and unfortunately, some of them are killed where they go.”
A critic of President William Ruto’s administration, Kinity argued that without drastic measures to curb corruption and elect accountable leaders, the plight of Kenyan migrant workers will continue.
“Kenyans have to be serious about their future and the future of their children,” he said. “There have to be strict measures similar to those of China if Kenya has to get rid of the rampant corruption.”
The case underscores ongoing concerns about the protection of Kenyan domestic workers in the Middle East, where reports of exploitation, abuse, and communication blackouts are frequent, raising urgent questions about the government’s capacity to safeguard its citizens overseas.