Piece by: Dennis Milimo

04 September 2022

• MP Didmus Barasa and Mike Sonko have promised to sponsor Diana's education when she jets back.

• Diana Chepkemoi went to Saudi Arabia as a domestic worker

Diana Chepkemoi, the Kenyan student who was being held against her will in Saudi Arabia has finally been rescued and taken to hospital.

The University student who was being detained and mistreated by her employer was freed following an uproar by Kenyans from all walks of life.

Credible reports details that the Kenyan Embassy in Riyadh intervened and secured Chepkemoi’s freedom.

She will be examined before being allowed to fly back home.

“Diana Chepkemboi has been finally rescued from the Saudi employer. Her mother opines that her daughter differed her studies at Merus KEMU University to look for fees from the gulf,” Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa reported.

MP Didmus Barasa and former Nairobi governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko are among those who have expressed the willingness to help Chepkemoi further her studies once she jets back.

“I have asked my wife who has gladly agreed to maintain short hair for 2 years to save enough cash to clear her full University fees for the whole program....upon jetting in, she will only have 3 weeks with her family and go back to class to complete her program and graduate,” Barasa said..

In his message, Sonko thanked the online community for fighting for Diana’s freedom.

"Good news on our sister Diana, our Embassy rescued her and she is now in hospital running tests. CS Chelugui has spoken to her on phone and she will be stabilized and processed to come home," Sonko explained.

Adding that;

“Thank You, online family, let’s keep the focus to have Diana join her mum and family whom she had sacrificed to work for albeit the hardships in Saudi. Justice must prevail for all our children working in hostile foreign Countries,”.

Chepekemoi went to Saudi as a domestic worker to save her family from financial constraints.

On Saturday, human rights groups and Diana's family mounted pressure on the government to secure Diana’s freedom after her malnourished photos went viral.

Diana’s sister Lorrain Cheptoo narrates that their family was reluctant to allow her sibling to travel to Saudi Arabia.

“We had occasional video calls and she seemed healthy until mid-July, Diana became unreachable on WhatsApp for a week, I reached out to her on another platform, but she was reluctant and distant, almost scared. Eventually, she disclosed that her boss had confiscated her phone and documents,” Cheptoo told Citizen Digital.