The family of Jackline Gatwiri, a Kenyan woman from Kivunguru village in Embu County, is still searching for answers nine months after she mysteriously vanished in Iraq.

Nation reports that the 28-year-old mother of one left Kenya on January 6, 2023, with the hope of building a better life abroad.

Driven by the desire to support her jobless mother and four-year-old son, she travelled to Iraq where she secured employment as a hairdresser.

Her departure marked the beginning of what would later become a painful and unresolved ordeal for her family.

“She called me to confirm she had arrived safely and found a job,” recalled her 53-year-old mother, Margaret Gatavi.

Shortly after settling abroad, Jackline started sending her mother KSh 10,000 monthly, a period she says was the happiest she had seen her in years.

However, the joy was short-lived as things changed in 2024 when Jackline confided in her mother that tensions with her employer had escalated after she complained about her salary being slashed.

“She said her boss had threatened her with arrest. I advised her to remain humble because she was far from home,” Ms Gatavi said.

From then on, the calls grew darker and more alarming, with Jackline asking for prayers and expressing fears for her safety.

On August 26, 2024, she told her mother that Kenyans in Iraq whose work contracts had expired were being harassed and tortured.

Days later, Ms Gatavi received a distressing message from a stranger: her daughter had been arrested and was seriously unwell.

Jackline was reportedly imprisoned along with 10 other Kenyans under unclear circumstances.

Despite standard procedures for repatriating workers with expired contracts, no official explanation was given to the families.

"I was told she was too weak to eat or drink but would soon be deported,” Ms Gatavi said.

On September 1, she was informed that Jackline would arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) the next day.

Elated, she rushed to the airport on the morning of September 2, but her joy quickly turned to anguish when the plane landed and her daughter was not among the deportees.

"I was told she had become violent and refused to board the flight. They said she was assaulted by Iraqi security officers,” Ms Gatavi recalled.

Officials returned her daughter’s phone and KSh 37,000 in cash, but gave no further information. Since that day, the family has heard nothing. No calls, no messages, no explanations.

“We are devastated. No one has told us what really happened at the airport that day. Is she alive? Where is she?” the grieving mother asked tearfully.

Jackline, described as a driven and adventurous woman, had previously worked in Saudi Arabia and Qatar and returned home safely.

Her family says she was familiar with life in the Gulf and had been confident about working in Iraq.

“She had big dreams. I don’t understand what went wrong,” said Ms Gatavi. “It’s been nine months of silence. I fear the worst.”

The family is now pleading with the Kenyan government to help uncover the truth about their daughter’s fate.

Source: TUKO.co.ke