Family Pleads for Government Help as Kenyan Woman Detained in Egypt

21-year-old Kenyan woman Linet Makena has been detained by authorities since May 8th due to expired immigration paperwork.

This seemingly bureaucratic issue has escalated into a matter of life and liberty. Linet's journey to Egypt began in 2018 with aspirations for a better life. She sought employment as a domestic worker, intending to join a relative in the North African nation. Fate, however, intervened. Love blossomed between her and a Tanzanian man, resulting in the birth of their child in 2019. Unfortunately, the relationship did not endure and the man returned to Tanzania leaving Linet to raise their child alone.

This turn of events plunged Linet into hardship. Her child's illness compounded the difficulties of being an undocumented single mother. Fear became a constant companion as her visa expired in February 2024. To avoid detection by the authorities, she resorted to desperate measures. Linet's family in Kenya is now engaged in a fervent plea for governmental intervention. Their efforts to raise funds for her return have yielded a meagre Sh 2,000, a far cry from the Sh 200,000 needed.

Her mother, a domestic worker herself, tearfully expresses her condition: "I have no means to buy them tickets. I am consumed by fear for my daughter and her child."

Linet's predicament is not unique. Kenyan citizens abroad, like the two individuals coerced into labour in Taiwan this April, often find themselves trapped in foreign countries due to unforeseen circumstances. These cases illuminate the plight of vulnerable Kenyan migrants and underscore the critical need for robust government support systems. As Linet awaits an uncertain future in an Egyptian cell, her family desperately implores the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to intervene. Their hope rests on the principles of compassion and diplomacy, urging for their daughter's release.