This archive report was first published on 21 June 2020.
June 20, 2020, marked a day of distress for Kenyans in Dubai as reports emerged of their mistreatment at the hands of Jalal Balala, brother of Tourism CS Najib Balala.
According to sources, Jalal Balala, Executive Director of Al Azizah General Trading and Events Organizing Company in Dubai, had invited a Belarusian woman, Barouskaya Krystina, to Kenya in January 2018, where she was to offer 'general duties' to him for three months.
However, allegations of cruelty and theft led to a court case in Shanzu Law Courts in Mombasa, where Jalal Balala was accused of mistreating Krystina.
Fast forward to 2020, Jalal Balala has once again made headlines for allegedly confiscating passports of his Kenyan employees, leaving them stranded in Dubai amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The victims claim to be living in harsh environmental conditions with financial constraints, with some forced to sleep in street parks.
"We are more than twenty Kenyans stuck in Dubai because of one Mr. Jalal brother to @tunajibu, who has refused to pay us or to give us back our traveling documents," a victim tweeted.
As the situation unfolds, prayers and solidarity are being offered to the affected Kenyans in the hope of finding justice.
