A Kenyan woman identified as Gladys Kemboi has shared her anguish online after her brother sold land, following years of suffering, to fund her journey abroad, only to face visa denials.
In an interview, Gladys Kemboi recounts the series of disappointments and setbacks she has faced in her pursuit of a better life abroad.
Born into a family of eight, Kemboi embarked on a journey to Eldoret in search of a better life, seeking employment in various capacities including as a waitress and a street food vendor.
Her efforts, however, consistently met with disappointments due to exploitative work conditions and broken promises.
In her words;
“I came to Eldoret to hustle, and life was difficult—it has been challenging. So I had a friend who found a job for me working at a hotel. The job wasn’t like working at a big hotel; it involved hawking food. We were being paid on commission.
“The owner had told me if I sold food worth KSh 4,000 (N46,314.27), she would pay me KSh 500 (N5,789.28). I sold food worth KSh 3,200, but she gave me KSh 50 in the evening.”
Kemboi secured another position as a waitress in a another hotel.
“He asked me when I wanted to start work, and when you need a job, you say right away. Then he immediately told me to start the job. That one was good because, on that day, I got the advantage of serving customers.
“He paid me KSh 300 in the evening, but he followed me. I asked him why he was doing that and he asked me what we had agreed, but I told him we hadn’t. He grabbed me by my blouse and yanked me. I still remember that he tore my bra. He didn’t even hand me the money; he threw it at me,” she added.
Desperate for a stable income, Kemboi turned to her elder brother for support.
“I called my brother and explained everything to him, and then I told him I wanted to go abroad. Since processing the required documents takes a long time, you can’t process them today and go the following day. I wanted to go overseas because life was hard. He asked me who would look after my baby, and I told him I couldn’t fail to get someone to do it. “He told me he’d come so we could talk, and for sure, he came, and we talked. Do you know that he isn’t well off, but he sold his land for me,” Kemboi said.
Despite his own financial constraints, he selflessly sold his land, raising substantial funds to facilitate Kemboi’s journey abroad.
“The land was sold for KSh 600,000 (N6,999,221.72), but KSh 500,000 (N5,832,684.77) was paid to an agent for the visa application,” Kemboi revealed.
Unfortunately, months later, their hopes were shattered when the visa application was denied.
“After six months, they said that the visa had been denied. When we asked them to refund our money, they said it had already been processed there. And if we wanted a refund, we could only get KSh 50,000 back, of which they never even refunded,” Kemboi weeped.
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