Parents of Kenyan woman abandoned in Saudi hospital seek govt help to bring her back

The parents of a Kenyan woman who was found abandoned in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a Saudi Arabian hospital with her passport on her bedside are now seeking the government’s assistance to bring her back home.

Speaking to Nation.co.ke in Kiandemi, Nyeri County, the parents, Moses Maina and Jane Njeri have appealed to the government to facilitate the return of their daughter, Mary Nyaguthii, to Kenya where they will be able to monitor her recovery after she was hospitalised under unclear circumstances at the Sanad Hospital in May 2015.

“We would prefer if she was brought back home where we are close to her instead of having her in a hospital far away.

“We are relying on Kenyans in Arabia to give us updates on her progress,” said Moses Maina.

Ms Nyaguthii left Kenya in August 2014 for Saudi Arabia in search of a job.

Her parents said that they only communicated with her once in November 2014, three months after she had left the country.

PICKED PHONE ONCE

“Her mobile phone went unanswered for over two months.

“She only picked up once and she told us that her employer had confiscated her phone.

“Our conversation was very brief; she said that she was taking care of two old ladies in Saudi Arabia and reassured me that she was fine,” said the mother.

News of Nyaguthii’s hospitalisation broke on August 5, 2015 when her photo was posted on Facebook with an appeal for anyone who knew her to inform her kin of her condition.

Her parents only learnt of her condition mid-August from one of their nephews who spotted the photographs on Facebook.

It is alleged that the 31-year-old mother of one was dumped in the hospital by her employer after sustaining serious head injuries.

BRAIN SURGERY

According to one of the posts on social media, Nyaguthii underwent brain surgery at the hospital where part of her skull was removed.

“We have been given conflicting stories about how she got to hospital.

“The first version is that she was picked up on the road side by an ambulance while the other version is that her former employer brought her to hospital in an ambulance and abandoned her,” says Mr Maina.

Her father says that those who have visited her say she has regained consciousness but she is yet to talk.

“One of the good Samaritans whom we spoke to placed their phone to her ears but she did not utter a single word,” said Mr Maina.

Ms Nyaguthii’s parents say that they only learnt of her plans to go to Saudi Arabia a day prior to her departure date.

According to her mother, Nyaguthii had plans of coming back to the country in December this year to finish an accounting course she had started.

“She only wanted to work for a year and get school fees for her accounting course, get a better job and take care of her seven-year-old son,” said her mother.