UAE has very stringent laws when it comes to visas and other crucial travel documents. Unless some exceptions, the government of the country wouldn’t allow you to enter or exit the nation. And one such case surfaced recently when a Kenyan woman was stranded in Abu Dhabi due to incomplete travel documents. But as the woman is a cancer patient suffering from Leukemia(medical exception), her request to be evacuated was approved.
Kenyan Cancer Patient Stranded In Abu Dhabi
A Kenyan woman who has been stranded in Abu Dhabi, UAE, for over a year due to a lack of travel documents and medical bills will finally return home on Tuesday. Fatuma Kazdungu Thoya, who suffers from leukaemia, a type of blood cancer, had been working in Abu Dhabi as a domestic worker until she fell ill in 2020.
Fatuma had overstayed her visa and accumulated penalties that prevented her from leaving the country. She also had no medical insurance and could not afford the treatment she needed. She was admitted to a hospital in Abu Dhabi, where she received chemotherapy and blood transfusions. However, her condition did not improve and she decided to return to Kenya to be with her family and seek further treatment. She has three children who are in school in Mombasa and depend on her for support. Her children were suspended from school for non-payment of fees.
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Diaspora County48 Kenya To The Rescue
Fatuma’s plight caught the attention of Diaspora County48 Kenya. It’s an organisation of Kenyans living abroad who help their fellow citizens in distress. The group mobilized funds to pay for her evacuation and admission to a hospital in Kenya. They also partnered with Diaspora Insurance, to facilitate her travel arrangements. This company provides insurance coverage for Kenyans in the diaspora.
According to The Standard, Diaspora County48 Kenya governor Bernard Kavyu said that Fatuma will arrive at Moi International Airport in Mombasa on Tuesday. Her children and Uncle Philip Baya will be present at the airport to receive her. He said that Fatuma will require a bone marrow transplant in Kenya and appealed to the government to assist her with the medical expenses.
Kavyu also wrote a letter to Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary, Roseline Njogu, seeking the help of the government to enable Fatuma to continue with her treatment. Fatuma is one of the many Kenyans who work in the UAE as domestic workers and face various challenges. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, there were about 30,000 Kenyans working in the UAE as of 2019.
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