A family from Njukiri Village in Manyatta Constituency, Embu County, is seeking assistance from the Government and well-wishers to bring back the remains of their kin who died in Saudi Arabia a week ago.
The family received news of the death of Frida Kageni, 31, via a phone call from the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs on July 7th informing them of her demise while receiving treatment at a Saudi Arabian Hospital.
The family said Frida who was working as a house help has been ailing since early this year and has been in and out of hospital until June when she was diagnosed with meningitis when her condition deteriorated.
The family has so far not been able to make any meaningful progress in repatriating her body home as they are not able to meet logistical costs involved including air transport.
It is a race against time for the distraught family as they have been given up to July 21 to have repatriated her remains or else her body will be interred locally in Saudi Arabia where the death occurred.
Family and friends are yet to come to terms with the tragic loss of their daughter they described as the main pillar and breadwinner for her family.
Her mother, Christine Irunda said she has helped educate her four siblings and her departure has left a big gap in the family given that her husband Samuel Murage cannot fend for them after suffering a broken leg sometime back that left him unproductive.
The family is also yet to come to terms with the possibility of her being buried in foreign country owing to the family’s financial handicap and that is why they have called on well-wishers to come to their aid.
“She left here seven years ago in search of a good life and now that it has come to this, all we can ask of is to be assisted in having her body brought back home and buried at her place of birth,” she pleaded.
Her father, Murage, said they have a huge burden ahead of them of not only facilitating her burial but also taking care of the four siblings she was taking care of plus her 9-year-old daughter.
“As we speak, we have less than two weeks to bring her body back home and that is why we are appealing to well-wishers to come through for us before it is too late,” he said.
Her younger brother Brian Mugambi said he was not sure how he will complete his university studies now that she is gone.
By Samuel Waititu
