Diana Chepkemoi: PS Kamau's Response To Ex-NTV Anchor Sparks Uproar

In the pictures circulated by Chepkemoi's family and human rights activists, the university student looked emaciated. 

Diana Chepkemoi: PS Kamau's Response To Ex-NTV Anchor Sparks Uproar
Collage image of Diana Chepkemoi, a Kenyan University student working as a house manager in Saudi Arabia. /FILE

Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Ambassador Macharia Kamau has been put on the spot by a section of Kenyans On Twitter (KOT) following his remarks on Kenyans travelling to the Middle East in search of employment.

This is in the wake of the ordeal of 24-year-old Kenyan, Diana Chepkemoi, a university student whose photos surfaced of her being held against her will in Saudi Arabia, which went viral and sparked a massive uproar countrywide.

In the pictures circulated by Chepkemoi's family and human rights activists, the university student looked emaciated. 

The ordeal drew the attention of former NTV news anchor and AMREF Communications Director Lizz Ntonjira, who challenged PS Kamau on why Kenyans working in the Middle East Countries were continuously being mistreated.

Foreign Affairs PS, Macharia Kamau. /THE STAR

"Amb Kamau, but for your long will our sisters continue being enslaved in the Middle East? How many lives have been lost in the past? Still, do these rogue agencies that send these young girls out there exist? What is being done?" she posed on Twitter.

In a rejoinder, PS Kamau noted that the government had warned Kenyans on numerous occasions against travelling to the Gulf Countries for employment. However, it was the tone of the response that did not sit well with members of the public.

"We have told Kenyans repeatedly to stop sending this category of workers to Saudi [Arabia]. You’ve chosen not to listen," he responded.

Another statement that drew sharp reactions from members of the public is one from the Saudi Embassy in Kenya on Saturday, September 3.

“In reference to what was circulated on social media regarding allegations of mistreatment of a Kenyan woman residing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Embassy would like to clarify that the woman suffers from a normal health condition and was not subjected to any kind of ill-treatment,” 

Meanwhile, Chepkemoi's family disclosed a chilling phone conversation with their kin's employer who reached out to them, dismissing the harassment claims and terming her as a tireless complainer who came up with excuses to avoid work.

“You could tell something was wrong, she said the boss was mistreating her, she was ill, couldn’t access hospital and her health was deteriorating quickly. The boss would only give her painkillers," Chepkemoi's sister, Lorrain Cheptoo, told Citizen TV.

Cheptoo added that different agencies had rushed to take action after Chepkemoi's story ignited fury across the country, with photos of her shared online capturing her desperate state. She further confirmed that her sister would be returning to the country on the next flight as she awaits her visa to be processed

Susan Makungu, the agent who facilitated Chepkemoi's employment in the gulf country, had also condemned the actions against the student and that plans to rescue her were frustrated by the employer.

"I was ready to pay for the air ticket, I was waiting for foreign affairs and the Kenyan embassy to go to the house and give her an exit. She is not lying she is speaking the truth, she is sick and they are mistreating her," she stated. 

An image of a city in Saudi Arabia. /SHUTTERSTOCK