Body of Kenyan who died in Jeddah lands after 3 months
By Mathew Ndungu, July 2, 2025Tears flowed at the cargo terminal at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) as the casket bearing the remains of 42-year-old Lilian Kanyi Gathiong’o arrived from Saudi Arabia, ending a harrowing three-month wait for her grieving family.
Kanyi, from Ngorongo village in Gatundu North, Kiambu County, died in March 2025 while undergoing treatment.
Her relatives could not afford the repatriation and hospital fees demanded by Saudi authorities, leaving her body stranded abroad.
It took the intervention of the government to clear the bills and facilitate the repatriation of the body.
Family and friends who addressed journalists at KU Funeral Home, where the body was taken for preservation ahead of burial on Friday, July 4, 2025, said they had lost hope in having the body repatriated.
They said they had conducted numerous harambees trying to raise the required fees in futility until the government gave them a shoulder to lean on.
“We had lost hope after exhausting every harambee and still falling short. Bringing Lilian home means we can finally mourn in peace,” distraught Kanyi’s mother, Grace Wanjeri, told journalists.
“We have cried, yes, but we are also joyful that we have our daughter back. We now have an opportunity to accord her a decent sendoff in her motherland,” Dorcus Wanjira, a family member, stated.
Accompanying the family from JKIA, Gatundu North MP Elijah Njoroge Kururia urged the government to crack down on rogue labour agents after a spate of Kenyan domestic worker deaths in the Gulf.
He noted that desperation and high unemployment levels have pushed many young people to take dangerous risks in hopes of better opportunities outside the country.
“Desperation and unemployment are driving our youths into unsafe hands. We need strict vetting of recruitment firms and a robust system to safeguard Kenyans once they land abroad,” he stated.
He made the statement as human rights organisations continue to report dozens of similar cases in recent years, citing abuse, unpaid wages and denial of medical care.
Kururia criticised the lack of regulation in the labour export industry and called on the government to tighten oversight on agents recruiting Kenyans for jobs abroad.
He urged the government to come up with better mechanisms of protecting Kenyans who travel away from the country in search of greener pastures, emphasising the risks many face once abroad.