Kenyan Woman Returns From Lebanon After Spending Nearly a Year in Prison

Vicoty Jeruto, a Kenyan domestic worker from Ziwa in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, has returned home after spending nearly a year in a Lebanese prison following a theft accusation.

Jeruto left Kenya in November 2023 to seek employment in Lebanon. Her employer initially treated her well, but the relationship later deteriorated. She was made to work from early morning until late at night, with only a few hours of rest.

After more than a year of work, Jeruto was accused of theft, arrested and detained. She spent close to 12 months in prison. She said conditions in the prison were difficult, with inmates confined to cramped spaces and denied access to sunlight and fresh air. 

Jeruto attended repeated court hearings over 11 months, but the people who had accused her did not attend any of them. A judge eventually allowed the case to proceed in their absence. 

Jeruto was left without adequate support during the proceedings after the agent who had arranged her travel to Lebanon denied any connection with her. After completing her sentence, she was moved to a deportation centre, where she spent three weeks before being repatriated to Kenya in 2026.

Jeruto returned with only her passport. She had no phone or other belongings and had lost the possessions she had taken with her when she left Eldoret.

“It was not easy,” she said, while expressing gratitude for having survived the ordeal and acknowledging that the outcome could have been worse.

Her experience is similar to that of Faith, another Kenyan woman who spent nine months in a Lebanese prison after allegedly being framed by her employer. Faith was eventually released and reunited with her family.