Mama Kibera admits she regrets leaving Kenya after ending up in prison in Saudi Arabia

Isabella Juma did what any loving mother would do when faced with the pressure of life: embrace the Middle Eastern dream to raise her children
When the father of her children abandoned them when they needed him the most, she left her home in Kibera, boarded a plane and landed in Saudi Arabia
What was meant to be a journey of liberation turned into a huge challenge when he was arrested, jailed and went through unspeakable torture

Isabella Juma grew up in Kibera with the same hopes that many young people living in slums have: to build a better life through education and hard work.

Mama Kibera Admits She Regrets Leaving Kenya After Ending Up In Saudi Arabia Prison
Source: Youtube

He told Tales By Titus254 that he completed his primary and secondary education, with the desire to overcome poverty.

But her dreams took an unexpected turn, she got pregnant shortly after joining college. Faced with the responsibilities of being a mother and without enough support, Isabella had to drop out of school before finishing.

Even after giving birth, going back to college seemed impossible. Life became more difficult when she came to have a second child.

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At that time he had managed to find a permanent job which gave him a glimmer of hope for financial stability.

however, personal challenges involving the father of her children made her unable to continue the work, and she found herself again struggling to provide for her family.

When her youngest son grew up, Isabella started looking for work all over Kenya. He traveled and asked for work in many places, hoping to find an opportunity that would help his children and guarantee them a good future.

But despite his best efforts, every door seemed to be closed. As the elections began to run out, he turned to job opportunities abroad, a route that many Kenyan job seekers follow in the hope of better pay.

Through friends and acquaintances, he was introduced to an agency and traveled to Utawala in Nairobi to submit an application.

However, what he found there worried him. The housing conditions of the applicants were poor and overcrowded, which raised serious concerns about the legality of the scheme.

Terrified, Isabella made the difficult decision to leave the next morning.

He was later connected to another agency that seemed to have a better arrangement. He applied for a passport and quickly began a month’s training to prepare for homework abroad.

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Soon after, her visa was approved and Isabella traveled to Saudi Arabia.

At first, his experience seemed positive. He was fortunate to be employed by what he described as good employers, and he worked peacefully in his first contract.

When the contract ended, Isabella decided to extend it because she still had debts in Kenya that she needed to pay.

But the situation began to change.

His salary was cut, and the work schedule became difficult to keep up with. Feeling she had no other choice, Isabella decided to leave.

With the help of friends he made while abroad, he carefully planned his departure. One night he waited until his employers went to bed and then quietly left.

The next day, he managed to get another job. However, his new employer only spoke Arabic, and the language barrier made communication and work very difficult.

He moved from one short-term job to another, but eventually the opportunities ran out. Within three months, Isabella had used up all the savings she had been able to save.

He started living with other migrant workers in a very crowded room.

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One night, their chaotic routine was interrupted by a loud knock on the door along with the sounds of people outside.

Before they could take any action, the doors were broken down by people who claimed to be CID officers. The women were ordered to wear abayas and follow them immediately.

They were taken to the police station where many photos were taken. From there they were transferred to another police station and later to another station again.

Although they were given food, Isabella remembers the atmosphere as tense and scary. One by one they were interrogated before being transported to prison.

When they arrived at the prison, all their belongings including money and phones were taken. They were ordered to remove their clothes and jewelry, untie their hair and undergo a thorough search before being given prison uniforms.

“I tried to ask why we were arrested, but no one answered me, and when I continued to ask, one of them hit my head against the wall,” he narrated.

Life inside the prison was very difficult. Isabella says she and others endured long periods of abuse and beatings in detention.

For months, freedom seemed so far away. However, through what she describes as faith and perseverance, Isabella was finally able to get out of prison and regain her freedom.