It was a deeply emotional moment at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) when Frenda Jelangat — a woman from Cheptiret, Uasin Gishu County — finally arrived back in Kenya after enduring mistreatment abroad.
Frenda had travelled to Saudi Arabia with hopes of working and supporting her family. But what began with promise turned into a nightmare: she was allegedly denied her salary, suffered mental distress, and was filmed in distressing conditions — tied to a bed, wearing wet clothes and visibly frail.
The images and videos of her plight sparked outrage in Kenya, prompting calls for urgent intervention by the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs and the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. Her Member of Parliament, Julius Rutto, also wrote to the ministries seeking rescue and safe return.
When Frenda arrived at JKIA, she was in a wheelchair and looked weak yet smiling. In a poignant moment, she rose to embrace her mother and urged: “Don’t cry, Mum. Don’t you see I’m smart? I’m fine.”
Family, friends and well-wishers gathered in thanksgiving as prayers rang out, and preparations began for her journey home. Frenda told her mother to keep praying and reassured her that things would be okay going forward.
