Kirinyaga woman repatriated from Oman after Ombudsman’s office intervention

Njeri, who left Kenya for Oman with hopes of changing her home background, was repatriated by the government. This was after she cried for help to her family and well-wishers through widely shared videos.

According to her mother, Mary Njoki, 34-year-old Njeri went to Oman to look for greener pastures but unfortunately got sick while working as a maid.

"My firstborn daughter, Lilian Njeri, landed in Oman on November 7, 2025, but got sick on November 10, 2025. From that day, her boss had been locking her in an office. It was sad to watch those videos," Njoki said, at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) where she received her.

A man named Dennis Kariuki Muthii intervened after the matter was highlighted. He called one of the family members and took her to the offices of the Commission for Administrative Justice (Ombudsman).

"After Njeri's sister, Freshia Njoki, wrote the letter to the Ombudsman, we were told to wait for her the following day at JKIA. I could not believe it. I called the family, and the following day I drove her with the family to ACK Mt. Kenya Hospital where she is admitted. We thank the government," Dennis Kariuki said.

Njeri's uncle, Richard Mithamo, said her boss was demanding over Ksh.600,000 so that she could return to the country.

"We have no money; my sister has a disabled child. How are we going to help our daughter? Help us bring our daughter back home," Mithamo appealed while at ACK Mt. Kenya Hospital, where she is admitted.

In her videos, Njeri claimed to have landed in the wrong hands as she was even being beaten. 

"Oman is located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia, and it was my first time visiting this country," Njeri said.

Her grandmother Judy Muthoni Muriithi, said they had been spending sleepless nights seeking help from well-wishers, who intervened and enabled Njeri’s return home.

“We were being told how Kenyan families indeed suffer in those Arab countries due to exploitation and abuse, but Njeri is here in Kirinyaga, Kenya," Muthoni said.