Kenyans protest the holding of Diana Chepkemoi against her will by wealthy Saudi family

Kenyans have taken to social media in protest, demanding for the release of Diana Chepkemoi, a university student held by her employer against her will in Saudi Arabia.

Diana’s plight and photos went viral with her family, as well as human rights activists, maintaining that the university student who looked emaciated is being held in conditions that many equated to modern-day slavery.

Diana is reported to have dropped out of university for financial reasons and secured domestic work to provide for her family.

Her mother also fell ill, leaving the family in a tight spot financially and with limited options.

With a desire to save enough money to complete her studies and hoping to support her family from her salary, she found an agency that facilitated her travel and found her work in Saudi Arabia.

Susan Makungu who runs an agency dubbed Makungu International took Diana to Saudi Arabia with the family now blaming her.

Little did she know that the gulf country would turn into her worst nightmare, going by her current plight.

"She is unwell but still being forced to work. We need your help Kenya to bring her back home. The embassy has been informed and has been given her location and employers phone number," activist Mutemi Wa Kiama who is well-briefed of the matter narrated

Addressing the matter, Makungu who runs the Makungu International agency that took Diana to Saudi Arabia confirmed that she has on several occasions tried to bring the university student back home but has faced stiff resistance from the Saudi employer.

She added that she has even involved the Kenyan Embassy in Saudi Arabia and her counterparts in Riyadh with the police also involved but still failed to secure Diana’s release from her rogue employer who is reportedly rich and well-connected.

"Our team from the other side got in touch with the police who went to the house but they could not even get access to the employer. Even the police in the country are afraid of the family.

"We are being told that the family is well connected and influential people. When I last spoke to Diana she told me that they were four house helps and this shows that the family is bigger and wealthy and has connections thus complicating this case," Makungu added.

Makungu appealed to Kenyan authorities to intervene in the matter as Diana is sick, adding that she willing to purchase her flight ticket once she is released.