Judy Gatwiri, 33, spent seven months in Lebanese police cells in Beirut waiting to be rescued after her employer failed to prove a theft charge against her.
When the mother of three left Kenya last year to work as a domestic helper in Lebanon, she was excited about the opportunities that awaited her and her young children.
On Tuesday, Ms Gatwiri landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) from Beirut, Lebanon, empty-handed but full of gratitude for coming back alive.
On August 30, she was released from Lebanese police cells after the Kenyan Embassy in Kuwait, which also oversees Lebanon, intervened.
Last week, an all-male group of Ameru professionals called Meru Progress, who read Gatwiri's story on Nation.Africa , raised more than Sh105,000 to help with her evacuation.
According to Mr Dommy Nturibi, an administrator of the group, they worked closely with the Kenyan Embassy in Somalia to coordinate Gatwiri's evacuation.
“We learnt that embassy officials had managed to resolve her court case. We immediately pooled resources and managed to pay for her flight back to Kenya,” Mr Nturibi said.
Back in Lebanon, her woes started about four months into the job, after what she claims was mistreatment and abuse by her employer.
“I worked for four months but the employers started treating me like a slave. I was overworked and they were always complaining about my work. I left the home and joined a lady who was to link me with another employer,” Ms Gatwiri said.
But while she was waiting for another job, she was arrested and charged with stealing $500 from her employer.
"I was thrown into police cells in February 2024. When I appeared in court, the complainant could not produce any evidence. However, she refused to withdraw the case. I had to remain in police custody because she did not want to withdraw the case," she says.
According to Gatwiri, life in police cells is grim, with no food or opportunity to go out for fresh air.
“For the seven months I was in custody, I relied on relatives of Lebanese suspects for food. When a suspect was visited by their relatives, I could beg for food. In Lebanon, the police do not give food to those in their custody. Without relatives or friends in Beirut, I was condemned to begging for food to survive,” she said.
In one of the many letters she wrote to her sister back home, Ms Gatwiri complained about the lack of medical care despite suffering from swollen limbs.
“Since I could not be allowed to use a phone, I would write messages on a piece of paper and friendly police officers could take a photo and send to my sister in Kenya,” Gatwiri said.
“The Lebanese police refused to give me my ID and phone. I came back empty-handed yet I went to work. However, I am grateful to God for bringing me back alive.”
“The information we have from the agency that hired her is that she was not found guilty. We cannot afford to raise the Sh40,000 needed for her air ticket. I am struggling to take care of my sister’s children in Nairobi,” said Ms Josphine Mwendwa, Gatwiri’s sister.
Ms Gatwiri called on the government to intervene and rescue more than 20 Kenyans in Beirut who are said to be seeking help to return home.
“I know of about 20 Kenyans in Lebanon who are seeking help from NGOs to be evacuated. The government should move in and address the suffering of its citizens in Lebanon,” she said.
Mr Julius Kobia, an official at the Kenyan embassy in Somalia, said there was a need to tighten regulation of recruitment agents to ensure that they assist Kenyans they recruited who are stranded abroad.
