The woman, who was in her mid-30s, had completed two two-year contracts while working in Saudi Arabia for at least four years. She was scheduled to return to Kenya in June 2023 after returning to Saudi Arabia for her last job placement. At that point, her family lost contact with her and later learned that she had spent eight months in the hospital.
Irene Atieno has worked in Saudi Arabia for a minimum of four years, divided into two years at a time. She was on her third and final trip when she unluckily became ill. Atieno, who is in her mid-30s, reportedly moved to Saudi Arabia to work as a housekeeper after losing her spouse and having to do everything to care for her two children.
The family does not know if their daughter’s illness was caused by an accident or by an assault. According to Justus Okatch, Atieno’s father, her firstborn daughter married in Kanyamkago, Migori, but regrettably became a widow after her husband passed away. Atieno relocated to Nairobi after losing her husband and made the decision to support her children alone. There, she made the decision to become a domestic worker in Saudi Arabia.