A family in Embu is appealing to the government and well-wishers to help repatriate the body of their daughter from Saudi Arabia, where she died over a week ago.
Fridah Kageni Murage, from Njukiri village in Manyatta constituency, died on July 9 at a hospital in Riyadh.
Her body is preserved in a morgue with the bill continuing to accrue.
“We are pleading with the government and all well-wishers to help us bring our daughter’s body back home. We have no means of raising the money needed and all we want is to give her a decent burial,” Fridah’s father Samuel Murage said.
About Sh1 million is required to clear outstanding hospital bills, mortuary charges and the cost of transporting the body back to Kenya.
Fridah’s younger brother Brian Mugambi said his sister was the family’s sole breadwinner after securing employment in Saudi Arabia. She supported her parents and educated her siblings.
Fridah sustained the family after her father suffered a leg injury that left him unable to work.
“She was paying school fees for me and my younger siblings, and she was also supporting our elder brother who graduated but is still unemployed. She was the only breadwinner, so we have no savings to meet these expenses. We are asking anyone willing to help, including the government, to stand with us during this difficult time,” Mugambi said.
The family said medical and mortuary bills have already exceeded Sh300,000 and continue to rise.
Fridah first complained of stomach complications in June and sought treatment at a private hospital in Saudi Arabia after being diagnosed with H pylori, her mother Christine Irunda said.
She made several visits to the hospital and was given different medication, with doctors eventually saying the infection had cleared. However, her condition continued to deteriorate.
She later complained of severe headaches and told her mother she could no longer answer phone calls because she was too weak. She was eventually admitted to a hospital in Riyadh where she died.
“We have been informed that the body cannot remain in the hospital morgue indefinitely. We fear that if we fail to raise the required money within the given period, we may lose the chance to bring her home. That is why we are appealing to well-wishers and the government for help,” Irunda said.
The family said they were informed that once the hospital’s holding period of 14 days lapses, they may be required to transfer the body to a private mortuary at an additional cost.
Murage said his daughter’s death has left the family devastated, not only emotionally but also financially, as she had become the pillar of the household.
The family’s appeal comes as Kenya continues to expand its labour migration programme, with the government encouraging thousands of young people to seek employment opportunities abroad, particularly in Gulf countries, to address unemployment and boost foreign remittances.
While the programme has enabled many Kenyans to secure jobs overseas and improve the livelihoods of their families through regular remittances, cases involving illness, workplace disputes and deaths abroad have continued to expose the financial burden families face when trying to repatriate loved ones.
The family is now urging the government to strengthen support systems for migrant workers and their families, including emergency assistance in cases of illness and death.
For now, however, their immediate concern is raising enough money to bring Kageni’s body back to Kenya and accord her a dignified burial.
“We are not asking for much. We only want our daughter to come back home so we can give her a proper farewell. We hope the government and well-wishers will hear our cry and help us through this difficult moment,” Murage said.
According to Kageni’s younger brother, Brian Mugambi, she was the family’s sole breadwinner after securing employment in Saudi Arabia, where she worked to support her parents and educate her siblings.
The family says it needs about Sh1 million to clear outstanding hospital bills, mortuary charges and the cost of transporting Kageni’s remains back to Kenya.
