After years of working as a domestic worker in Saudi Arabia, Eunice Wangui returned to Kenya expecting to settle into a new life but was instead met with heartbreak and betrayal.
The Kiambu mother of two had saved and sent over Ksh800,000 via M-Pesa to her brother for the construction of a three-bedroom house on land she had earlier bought near Soko Mjinga.The money was meant to fulfil a dream she had nurtured since 2019: to escape poverty and finally own a permanent home.
However, when she returned in 2022, nothing had been built.
Instead, she found a bare piece of land and a series of broken promises.
Her brother, who had initially helped her acquire the land, claimed the house was in progress, but no evidence of construction was visible.
Adding to her devastation, Ms Wangui had returned home under tragic circumstances.
Her teenage son had died by suicide in May 2022, but his burial was delayed for four months as she struggled to get emergency leave.Denied permission by her employer under the kafala system, she opted for deportation to attend his burial.
The kafala system, which gives employers near-total control over migrant workers’ lives, left her powerless in the face of personal tragedy.
Now jobless, grieving, and defrauded, Wangui is left picking up the pieces.
She says pursuing justice against her brother is difficult due to family pressures, and her hopes of recovering the lost money are fading.
Her story echoes a growing pattern among Kenyans in the diaspora, trusted relatives turning dreams into ashes.
By Nation