Saudi worker’s kin fear for her life

The family of a 22-year-old lady in Saudi Arabia is worried about her health after she complained of being overworked. Mwanaasha Gona, mother of one, travelled to Saudi Arabia early last year in search of a job. She works in Jidah as a house help for an Arabian woman. Gona’s mother, Flora Kalamba, said her daughter called last week pleading to be rescued. “She told me they had travelled to Morocco to her employer’s parents. When they got back to Saudi Arabia, she fainted just as they were entering the house. She was unconscious for about an hour and was oredered to work once she came to." Kalamba said.

Paul Mutula, Gona’s husband, said he wants to see her wife back in Kenya. Her cousin, Bahati Jacob, spent three months in Saudi Arabia but came back with help of a local NGO. “They don’t care about your health. They just want you to work endlessly,” Bahati said. The family said Gona rarely answers calls. The government recently banned Kenyans from going to Saudi Arabia to work as house helps. Kalamba and Bahati said the ban should remain in place for as long as there are cases of mistreatment of Kenyans by their employers in the Middle East.