At exactly 7.45am on Wednesday, Chris Mrabu landed at Mombasa International Airport.
But in a coffin.
His relatives had not seen Mr Mrabu for nine years. He had travelled to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia in 2010.
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“He was employed as a truck driver there. He then came back home in December 2012. After a few months, he went back to Saudi Arabia in 2013 and that was the last time I set my eyes on him,” Mr Mrabu’s wife Joyce Mwaringa told Nation.Africa.
When he last left Kenya, their firstborn child was seven years old and he is now a Form Four graduate.
“Nine good years, that is how long I have not seen my husband. My two children have been asking for him daily. But today they are receiving his body,” a tearful Ms Mwaringa said.
The family said Mr Mrabu’s life took a dramatic turn when he caused a road accident and his employer fired him.
“In 2016, the truck he was driving was involved in an accident. His employer opened a traffic offense case against him at a police station,” Ms Mwaringa said.
Ms Joyce Mwaringa (centre) is consoled by family friends at the Moi International Airport in Mombasa after receiving the body of her husband , Chris Mrabu’s on March 30, 2022.
Brian Wachira I Nation Media Group
“Although he was not arrested, we had to contribute Sh280,000 for him to be cleared from the case because he was not allowed to return to Kenya unless the fee was cleared.”
Despite the family’s efforts to clear the fee, Mr Mrabu did not travel back to Kenya, as his documents were withheld by his employer.
“He continued living in Jeddah, frequently visiting the Kenyan Embassy in Saudi Arabia and seeking assistance. But they did not help him,” she said.
She added that last August, her 44-year-old husband started complaining of pain in his hand. Three months later, his health had deteriorated and he was admitted to a hospital.
“We had to start contributing again. We tried seeking help from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but they turned a blind eye to us. We did not manage to bring him back home for treatment. He died there in February. We contributed Sh150,000 to settle hospital and mortuary bills,” she said.
Still, they had no help bringing back his body.
They then contributed another Sh260,000 to transport the body back home.
Mr Mrabu’s sister, Alice Luganje, said the last time she spoke to her brother was on February 2.
“On the evening of February 5, I received a phone call from my uncle notifying me of my brother’s demise. He used to call me every day. I wish I would be given one last chance to get to hear his voice. We did not say goodbye to each other,” Ms Luganje said.
Another of Mr Mrabu’s sisters, Esther Bahati, said the employer distanced himself from the issue, wanting nothing to do with her brother.
“They refused to pay him his salary, leaving him to depend on us. My brother fell sick last August and since then his health kept deteriorating. We sought help but not even agents wanted to assist us,” she said.
“In December last year, my brother asked us to find a way of bringing him back home. We got worried and called the Kenyan Embassy in Saudi Arabia, which checked on him several times. But for him to return home we were told to pay cash for offences he had committed.”
Haki Africa Rapid Response Officer Alex Mbela said the Kenyan Embassy in Saudi Arabia turns a blind eye to such issues, prompting the lobby group to find alternatives to assist Kenyan migrant workers stuck there.
Last year, a report by the Foreign Affairs ministry revealed that 89 Kenyans died in Saudi Arabia between 2019 and 2021.
The majority were domestic workers, drivers, security guards and cleaners. BY DAILY NATION