Catherine Nyawira: Buried in the Gulf without family's consent

Catherine Nyawira, travelled to Saudi Arabia in 2011, in search of greener pastures. [Emmanuel Kipchumba, Standard]

When five-year-old Margaret Karimi watched her mother leave in 2011, she was told they would one day reunite. Her mother, Catherine Nyawira, was travelling to Saudi Arabia in search of greener pastures, determined to build a better life for her children.

For years, Karimi and her sister clung to that promise. The occasional phone calls, money sent home and stories shared across borders kept hope alive. But this August, that dream was crushed. Nyawira, who had spent 15 years working in Saudi Arabia, died unexpectedly. To the family’s devastation, she was buried in the Gulf before her body could be repatriated.