This archive report was first published on 18 June 2020.
On June 14, 2020, Rahab Njeri Wachira, a Kenyan domestic worker, died in a hospital in Saudi Arabia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has clarified that Rahab Njeri died in hospital, not while seeking assistance at the embassy, as some Kenyans in Saudi Arabia had claimed.
According to the ministry, Rahab Njeri was a runaway domestic worker without medical insurance, residency permit, or other relevant documentation, which would have enabled her to seek medical assistance in a health facility.
Despite her irregular status, the embassy intervened and facilitated her treatment and medical care before she succumbed.
The ministry stated that Rahab Njeri was taken to Al-Imam Abdurrahman Al-Faisal Hospital in Riyadh on March 7, 2020, where she underwent a surgical operation, and later admitted to King Fahad Medical City on June 14, 2020, where she died.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged Kenyans in the diaspora to abide by the rules and regulations of their host countries to avoid unnecessary hardships.
It is standard practice for Kenyans traveling abroad to take medical and other insurance for emergencies, the ministry noted.
