Kenyan women in Saudi Arabia allege sexual abuse by embassy staff as they sought help. Calls grow for justice and government accountability.
Kenyan Workers Allege Abuse by Embassy Officials in Saudi Arabia
In 2020, Selestine Kemoli fled to the Kenyan Embassy in Riyadh, seeking refuge from brutal abuse by her employer. Kemoli, a Kenyan domestic worker in Saudi Arabia, says she had been raped, cut with a knife, and forced to drink urine. Desperate for help, she turned to the very institution meant to protect her.
But what she found instead was betrayal. According to Kemoli, Robinson Juma Twanga, the embassy’s labour attaché, responded not with assistance—but with exploitation.
“You are beautiful,” she recalls him saying. “I will sleep with you, just like your boss did.”
🔁 A Pattern of Exploitation at the Kenyan Embassy
Kemoli’s story is not unique. Multiple Kenyan women who fled abusive employers in Saudi Arabia have reported similar experiences. Interviews collected by The New York Times and human rights lawyers reveal a disturbing pattern: officials at the Kenyan Embassy in Riyadh allegedly demanded sex or money in exchange for help with repatriation.
Some women were reportedly pressured into sex work, while others were insulted, ignored, or mocked as they arrived at the embassy—injured, traumatized, and broke.
🧾 Kenyan Officials Deny Responsibility
When pressed for comment, a spokesperson for President William Ruto denied any knowledge of the abuses. Twanga, when contacted, claimed he was retired and refused to comment, saying, “I cannot get involved in that kind of story.”
However, consistent testimonies suggest a wider culture of impunity within Kenya’s diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia.
Kemoli, for example, says she was left stranded until a well-connected relative intervened to help her return home.
💸 Saudi Arabia: A Harsh Reality for Kenyan Migrants
Tens of thousands of Kenyans travel to the Gulf annually, drawn by the promise of higher wages. But many women face abuse, withheld pay, and legal limbo, especially under Saudi Arabia’s kafala system, which limits worker protections.
According to Human Rights Watch and local NGOs, the situation is worsened by East African and Gulf intermediaries, who profit from a system that often traps women in cycles of abuse.
⚰️ Families of the Dead Also Suffer
It’s not just the living who are mistreated. Families of Kenyan domestic workers who died in Saudi Arabia have reported being asked to pay for body repatriation, even though the Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims the government covers such costs.
One woman, Faith Gathuo, says she was raped and beaten with a pressure cooker by her employer. When she approached the embassy, an official demanded $500 and sex in exchange for help getting home. She complied, but never received assistance.
⚖️ Time for Justice and Reform
These accounts point to a systemic failure within Kenya’s foreign missions. There is an urgent need for investigation, transparency, and accountability.
“The government must act,” said a Nairobi-based human rights advocate. “Our embassies must protect—not exploit—vulnerable citizens abroad.”
The stories of Kemoli, Gathuo, and countless others demand a reckoning. Justice must be swift, and protections must be strengthened to ensure no Kenyan woman is ever abandoned again.