- Family members and relatives’ efforts to bring back the body home have bore no fruits.
- Kazungu said they went to human rights office in Kilifi, who later informed them that her sister was in critical condition.
Image: ALPHONCE GARI
A family in Kakoneni, Kilifi county is mourning after their daughter, 22, died under unclear circumstances in Saudi Arabia while working as a house help.
Celina Kazungu, allegedly died on March 17, but the family is yet to get information on when the body will be flown for burial.
Family members and relatives’ efforts to bring back the body home have bore no fruit.
At the home, the mother, who only speaks the Giriama dialect, is demanding her daughter’s body for burial.
Dzendere Randu broke into tears at the thought of her daughter dead thousands of miles away from home.
“What I want is the body of my daughter nothing else, help me bring it back home,” she said.
So far, preparations for burial have not begun.
They are appealing to President Uhuru Kenyatta to intervene for them to conduct a burial as per the Mijikenda culture.
The deceased’s elder brother Owen Kazungu said he tried reaching out to her sister on phone on March 8, as it was usual for him to communicate with her but her phone went unanswered.
Image: ALPHONCE GARI
He said attempts to get information about her whereabouts from friends in the Middle East proved futile.
Kazungu said they went to human rights office in Kilifi, who later informed them that her sister was in critical condition.
“On March 10, I got the information she was in ICU , we tried to inquire whether she could come home for treatment but we were told that she could not travel in the state she was,” he said.
On March 17, the family got information that she was dead.
“I urge President Kenyatta to help us bring the body home so that we can bury it as per our traditions,” he said.
Ismail Mweni, an uncle of the deceased said they just got a phone call that Celina was in ICU followed by another call that she was dead.
Malindi parliamentary aspirant Kenneth Karisa said the death was a big loss and called on the government to help them bring the body home for burial.
He said they got reports that the girl was stabbed and admitted in ICU before she died.
(Edited by Tabnacha O)
Image: ALPHONCE GARI