This archive report was first published on 22 June 2020.
June 22, 2020, marked a day when Jalal Balala, the brother of Tourism CS Najib Balala, found himself in the spotlight once again. This time, it's not for his lavish lifestyle, but for allegations of mistreating Kenyans in Dubai.
According to reports, Jalal Balala, the Executive Director of Al Azizah General Trading and Events Organizing Company in Dubai, had invited a Belarusian woman, Barouskaya Krystina, to Kenya in 2018. The two were met by a government security detail at the Moi Airport Mombasa on January 25, 2018. Jalal Balala had claimed that he invited Krystina to offer 'general duties' to him, as he was 'old, had fractured arms, and was battling cancer.'
However, the situation took a turn for the worse when Jalal Balala was accused of mistreating Krystina, leading to a court case in 2018. Now, Jalal Balala is facing new allegations of mistreating Kenyans in Dubai, including confiscating their passports and leaving them in harsh environmental conditions.
Several Kenyans who work for Jalal Balala have come forward, alleging that they have been living in difficult conditions, with financial constraints and harsh environmental conditions. They claim to have been crying out to the embassy for help, but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
'We have been crying to the embassy, but all seems to be in vain. We don't need a free flight,' one of the victims said.
