This archive report was first published on 6 September 2021.
It's a regret that Saggaf Swaleh will carry with him for the rest of his life: ever setting foot in Saudi Arabia.
Swaleh, a Kenyan truck driver, was detained in a Saudi jail for eight months, subjected to torture, mistreatment, and a lack of food and medical care.
His nightmare began in 2012, when a relative connected him to a job in Saudi Arabia after he failed to secure a well-paying job in Kenya.
Swaleh packed his bags and traveled to Riyadh to work as a truck driver, leaving behind a pregnant wife.
It was a decision that would change his life forever.
Swaleh was detained in January this year, after he helped a Kenyan friend who was being mistreated by her Arab employer.
As he drove his friend to the Kenya Embassy in Riyadh, her employer hit their car from behind, causing a fatal accident.
Swaleh was arrested and taken to a detention center, where he was locked with 250 other people and subjected to inhumane conditions.
He was provided with food only once a day and had to share seven toilets with his fellow detainees.
Despite his friends' efforts to secure his release, Swaleh was held in detention for eight months.
It wasn't until two weeks after an interview with a journalist that Swaleh learned he was on the list of people to be repatriated to Kenya.
He was tested for Covid-19 and, fortunately, his result was negative.
Swaleh landed safely in Kenya on Monday and traveled by bus to his home in Ukunda, Kwale County.
He has vowed never to return to Saudi Arabia.
