Nilipika nyoka! Girl narrates horrifying story of how she was mistreated in Saudi Arabia

Piece by: Geoffrey Mbuthia
Lifestyle

We all hear about jobs in the Middle East. They are normally advertised as dream jobs where the salaries and working conditions are superb. But as with many things,

For the woman in this story, she saw firsthand how bad life can be in a place where human rights are not respected for many foreign workers. Maria Mmboga went through hell for two years while working in Riyadh.

Maria spoke of her elation at getting a visa to go to the Saudi Arabia. She said

“It was one of my happiest moments. I was elated and said to myself, ‘this is the breakthrough I have been praying for.’”  

All went well when she landed and was taken to a bureau. She said:

“At the bureau where the employers come for you, there were Indians, Filipinos and Africans, and we were treated well and I didn’t expect any foul play."

Life was to remain rosy until she was taken to her eventual employer,  who lived in Halfar A-Batin, 430 kilometres north of Riyadh.She said:

“It was a confined place, very hot and isolated. I was given a hijab which I was warned never to remove.”

Her phone was then destroyed and she was warned not to talk to anyone. Her boss and his family were very abusive towards her forcing her to work day and night. When she confronted her boss she was told that she was just a slave. She said:

“The first six months passed without a salary and I knew things had changed for the worst. I had to find my way out. After slaughtering snakes and cooking them for months, I could not sleep anymore because I would see them in my dream and wake up shouting. That alone resulted in more beatings at night."

One day, her guardian angel (where was he anyway?) appeared, who happened to be a policeman, and he facilitated her escape from her tormentors. She explained:

“I gained courage after his visit and went to my boss knowing that I could be killed in the process. I told him my contract was over and that I wanted to go back to Kenya with my full pay. after about two weeks, she was released and paid almost all her dues. I didn’t believe I was coming back to Kenya until the plane took off. It was like a dream come true."  

My goodness! These type of employers give the ones who pay you a measly wage look like Gods.

Quotes courtesy of SDE