Jackline Gatwiri from Kivunguru in Embu county, who went missing in Iraq.
On January 6, 2023, Jackline Gatwiri, aged 28, left her home in Kivunguru village in Embu County to seek a better life in Iraq.
Driven by ambition and the need to provide for her family, Gatwiri left behind a jobless mother and a then four-year-old son. Little did her family know that that day would be the last time they would see her alive.
According to her mother, Ms Margaret Gatavi, 53, Jackline called shortly after arriving in Iraq to confirm that she had arrived safely. She soon found work as a hairdresser.
For the next 10 months, she sent her mother Sh10,000 for upkeep, and Ms Gatavi remembers this as the happiest period of her life — when her daughter was finally able to care for her.
However, in January 2024, things took a dark turn when Ms Gatwiri called home to confide that her relationship with her employer had deteriorated. She said her boss had threatened to have her arrested and detained.
Jackline Gatwiri from Kivunguru in Embu county, who went missing in Iraq.
“She explained that after her salary was reduced, she raised complaints. But instead of addressing the issue, her employer became hostile. I advised my daughter to remain humble since she was far from home,” Ms Gatavi recalled.
As time passed, the calls became more worrisome as Ms Gatwiri often asked her mother to pray for her.
“On August 26 last year, she told me that Kenyans in Iraq, especially those whose contracts had expired, were being harassed and tortured,” Ms Gatavi said.
A few days later, she received a message from a stranger informing her that her daughter was unwell and had been imprisoned. The details of how Gatwiri ended up in custody with 10 other Kenyans remain unclear.
Although it was claimed that the group had been detained after their work contracts expired, no formal explanation was ever given, despite there being standard procedures for handling foreigners in such situations.
“I was distraught. My daughter was reportedly unable to eat or drink. The stranger told me she would be deported soon and that I would be notified of her arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport,” Ms Gatavi said.
On September 1, 2024, she received a message confirming that her daughter would arrive the next day. Overjoyed, she barely slept that night, and by 8am on September 2, she was at the airport, ready to welcome her daughter home.
Shortly after 9am, the plane carrying deportees landed and the passengers began to disembark. But her daughter was not among them. Panic-stricken, Ms Gatavi demanded answers.
“I was told that my daughter had been left behind after she turned violent and refused to board the plane. They claimed she was then assaulted by Iraqi security officers,” she said.
They returned her daughter’s belongings: a phone and Sh37,000 in cash. Since that day, Ms Gatwiri has not called or made contact with any member of her family.
"We are devastated. No one has told us what really happened at the airport that day. Is she alive? Where is she?" Ms Gatavi asked tearfully.
She described Gatwiri as highly ambitious and a risk-taker. “My daughter wanted to succeed in life and had previously travelled abroad for better-paying jobs,” she said.
Before Iraq, Gatwiri had worked in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, returning home safely both times.
“She had experience in the Gulf and knew what to expect. I don’t understand what went wrong in Iraq where she had high hopes of earning well,” said Ms Gatavi. “It has now been nine months since she disappeared. I fear the worst. I appeal to the government to help me find my daughter, dead or alive.”
