Diana Chepkemoi Given Job, Full Scholarship After Saudi Arabia Ordeal

The Meru University of Science and Technology (MUST) has offered a job and full scholarship to Diana Chepkemoi, one of their students who was stranded in Saudi Arabia in horrible circumstances.

In a statement on Monday, September 5 by its Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Romanus Odhiambo, the university will also cater for Chepkemoi's accommodation.

While expressing its sadness over the matter, the university noted that Chepkemoi is one of their students who was admitted to MUST during the 2017 – 2018 academic year on August 31, 2017, to study Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Management under the School of Agriculture and Food Science. 

She studied the programme for the first semester of the academic year but submitted a letter of deferral due to financial constraints on August 29, 2018, a request which was granted.

She then applied for a course transfer on May 15, 2019, to study for a Bachelor of Education Arts. The course transfer request was granted, however, she did not report back.

"The University is in close contact with Chepkemoi’s family and we are thrilled to know she will soon be back in the country.

"We commend everyone who played a part in sharing her story and ensuring we have her in safe hands. This goes to show the power of unity and love within our great country," the university stated in part.

The University will place her under the student work-study programme, a platform designed to empower needy students. She will enjoy a flexible schedule to study and serve within the University library and will be granted accommodation within the University.

"We welcome back Diana Chepkemoi, a member of the MUST family, to the University to complete her studies. We have informed her family of the support we shall offer her in order to successfully complete her studies," the university added.

Her case which was captured through photos that surfaced of her being held against her will in Saudi Arabia that went viral and sparked a massive uproar countrywide was what she termed as the 'tip of the iceberg'.

“I left Kenya to go to Saudi Arabia with the hopes of getting a better life and to be honest, mine was just a tip of the iceberg, people are suffering there. My friends are suffering there.

“It is a shame being told there is nothing you can do and there’s nothing your government can do. I’m pleading with the government to please do something. Help them because they're suffering, it's just that I found a voice,” she said.

Her mother Clara Chepkemoi, who was at the airport to welcome her back, weighed in by stating that it was better for one to look for employment in their own country. She added that she was unsure of Saudi Arabia but had to let Diana travel to the Middle East country.

“I am very grateful at this moment because God has done great things to me. It was a critical condition whereby I could not imagine what to do. As a mother, it is painful to have our children assaulted abroad. It is better to hustle here and be in peace and happiness,” Clara stated.