'Help us bring our kin's body from Saudi Arabia'

Sharon Andeka died on December 30 while undergoing treatment. [Nathan Ochunge, Standard]

A family from Mwilonje village in Shinyalu constituency is appealing to the government and well-wishers to help them bring the body's daughter back home for burial.

Sharon Andeka, 27, died on December 30, last year while undergoing treatment at Shemesiy hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Until her untimely death, she was working as a househelp for the last eight months. She went to Saudi Arabia on March 30, last year.

Beatrice Khamati, Sharon's mother, said she was against the idea of her daughter flying to the Middle East to work as a househelp, saying the late Sharon persuaded her that she was only going to try and raise money for taking care of her sick daughter aged three and a half years.

"Allow me to go and look for money so that my daughter can undergo a specialized treatment to enable her to walk. I tried stopping her but she insisted and had to let her go," said Ms Khamati

Khamasi in an interview yesterday at the Olympics area in Kibra constituency said that after a month, Sharon would send money to her.

However, few months later, she started complaining of chest-related complications.

"Sharon talked to her elder sister and informed her that was seriously sick around November last year. She requested the family to pray for her after being diagnosed with chest and stomach complications. That was the last time I heard from her," said Khamasi

"I was at home on January 3, when my daughter's friends came to my house crying. They inquired from me if I had been in touch with my daughter, and I told them it has been a while. They embraced me and broke the sad news that Sharon was dead."

Justine Mutola, Sharon's elder sister said that initially, she thought that the deceased had developed chest complications that resulted in her experiencing difficulties in breathing and advised her to consider losing weight.

Ms Mutola said that she was on and off from the hospital and that on December 26, when they last talked, she told her that the condition deteriorated to the extent of being put on oxygen to aid her in breathing.

"She said that she went to another hospital and after medication, she was feeling better. That was the last conversation we shared," said Mutola

She added: "On December 31, last year after reporting to work, I saw a WhatsApp message via her line that read 'Sharon is no more'. I tried calling back but no one responded. She is gone but how to bring her body back home is the problem."

Hildguard Kamede, Sharon's sister-in-law, said they have tried seeking help from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but in no vain, claiming even the travel agency that took her to Saudi Arabia, has deserted them.

"We were told to submit three emails of close relatives who will receive her body within 14 days but since then, we have not received any further communication. They told us that we will need between Sh300,000 and Sh500,000 to fly her body back home," said Ms Kamede

She added: "We are appealing to the Kenyan government and the County Government of Kakamega to intervene so that we can bring her body back home. We are financially incapacitated and raising half a million is difficult."

Anibell Gikanga Nyokabi, from Nile Treasure Gate, the agency that secured Sharon a job, in a letter dated January 3, notified the National Employment Authority and the Foreign Affairs Ministry that she had died.

Nyokabi's letter further read: "She travelled on March 30 to Saudi Arabia. Her demise was received from social media on January 2, 2023. And to make clarification, the girl, escaped from her sponsor's house four months ago and the matter was reported to her family in Kenya.

Nyokabi had asked the government agencies to help the family bring body her back home.