At least 178 job seekers who were set to travel to Saudi Arabia stormed and camped at Kitengela police station protesting against being duped by their agents.
The ladies aged between 21 – 35 years are said to have been dumped in a thicket on the outskirts of Kitengela town after staying for over 6 weeks at the institution they were housed for training.
The ladies had been directed by different agents to a Competitive manpower training institute in the interior parts of Kitengela for three weeks of training before leaving for Saudi Arabia. However, after three weeks, the girls were told the training would continue for another three weeks.
According to the ladies, they were told to stay further at the institution to wait for examinations.
“We feel we are being taken for a ride. We have been suffering at the institution and tossed around while being kept pending on claims that we have to do examinations which were not being availed. The institution’s management does not want to be questioned whatsoever. When we asked to be directed we were dismissed and told to leave. It is a sad reality that some of us do not know where we are, we are just seeing Kitengela police station which we cannot even tell which county it is,” one Naomi Kemunto, a 29-year-old who hails from Nyakeba, Kisii County said.
The desperate ladies while armed with their luggage camped at the police station appealing to be aided to embark to their homes as well as be given their identity cards and birth certificates.
“When we were told to leave, we asked for our documents but we were denied and evicted forcefully,” one f the victims identified as Josephine Nyaguchi claimed.
They say to have been promised free air tickets to Saudi Arabia and well-paying jobs.
While at the institution, they claimed to have been surviving on black tea in the morning and one meal of cabbage and ugali or githeri served in small portions.
“With the struggling economy, all we were looking for is an opportunity to better our lives. Yes, we hear bad stories about Saudi Arabia but we had assurance from our agents about our safety, welfare and better pay. We are disappointed that from the onset the environment we lived proofed otherwise, “another victim identified as Rose Wangeci added.
The training involved cooking favourite Saudia meals and how to do house chores using sophisticated machines.
Kitengela police officers led by the officer commanding station David Ole Shani, however, directed the girls to Athi-river saying the institution falls under the Machakos jurisdiction.
When reached for comment, competitive Manpower training institution principal Getri Mulama said the extension of training was a result of a delay in processing assessment tests.
“The ladies ran out of patience and demanded to go home. I have forwarded their concerns to the director. That is all I can say,” Mulama said over the phone.
The ladies hail from various parts of the country with the majority drawn from Kisii County.
Some pleaded to hide their identity saying they had run away from home and aided by their agents to forge birth certificates to facilitate the processing of their travel documents.
