Family demands answers after mysterious death of kin in Saudi

The family of Rachel Njoki, who died under unclear circumstances in Saudi Arabia, is calling for justice as they face bureaucratic hurdles in a quest to determine the cause of her death.

According to them, they were informed by Kenyan police that they cannot conduct an autopsy on her body without authorisation from Interpol, a move that has left the family frustrated and suspicious of foul play. 

“We were informed that post-mortem could not be conducted due to certain bureaucracies and that we needed approval from Interpol. We want transparency in this process to determine if her death was natural or if foul play was involved,” said Charles Gacheru, a church elder and family friend.

Njoki, 37, left Kenya for Saudi Arabia on December 17 last year, seeking a job to provide for her two sons. However, her family lost contact with her in early January, only to later learn from an agent that she had died between January 7 and 8.

No further details were provided, and the family was not officially informed by authorities until much later.

Gacheru expressed concern over the inconsistencies surrounding Njoki’s death. He noted that the family only learned of her passing on February 3, almost a month after her demise, after reaching out to the agent who facilitated her travel when they could not get Njoki on phone.

Before then, Gacheru said that no effort had been made by the Saudi or Kenyan authorities to reach out to Njoki’s next of kin, despite having their contact details.

Additionally, according to the family, they were asked to bury Njoki’s body quickly, with the government claiming it was in a state of advanced decomposition. However, the family disputes this, insisting the body was in better condition than they were led to believe.

This discrepancy has fueled suspicions that key details about Njoki’s death are being concealed. Odhiambo Ojiro, a human rights officer with Vocal Africa, condemned the government handling of the case, pointing out inconsistencies in official reports.

“The Saudi government states that Rachel died on January 7, while the Kenyan embassy in Riyadh claims she died on January 8. Which report should the family believe?” Ojiro questioned.

He further criticised the government for what he described as negligence and potential collusion in delaying justice for the family.