4-year-wait: Kenyan mum given back baby taken away during deportation from Saudi

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

- Baby Precious was separated from her mother, Penina Wanjiru, during a deportation ordeal four years ago

- Having been deported from Saudi Arabia, Wanjiru feared that at one point her daughter would be sent to an orphanage

- The long wait has finally come to an end after the Saudi authorities allowed the baby to come to Kenya and reunite with her mother

Four-year-old Precious Wambui is finally on her way back to Kenya after spending years separated from her mother, Penina Wanjiru Kihiu, following a painful deportation that tore the two apart.

The Kenya Embassy in Riyadh confirmed the development on August 23, announcing that Ambassador Joseph Masila had successfully facilitated the tracing and release of the young girl.

Mother Left Behind Without Her Child

Precious is now being brought home for reunification with her mother and extended family.

"Distance and time may separate people, but genuine love keeps hearts connected," the embassy said in its announcement, describing the outcome as a story of "hope and joy."

Wanjiru first travelled to Saudi Arabia in 2019 seeking work. She gave birth to Precious in 2022, having concealed her pregnancy out of fear that discovery would lead to her removal from the country.

She also avoided hospitals during the birth, worried that medical staff would alert the authorities.

For the first seven months of Precious' life, Wanjiru cared for her daughter while working, before enrolling the child in a daycare facility.

The two lived together in Saudi Arabia until Precious turned three. Everything changed when police raided Wanjiru's home.

She was taken to the Kenyan embassy and subsequently ordered to leave the country, with Precious caught up in the chaos of the ordeal. Despite Wanjiru's pleas, she was unable to take her daughter with her.

"I insisted I wouldn't leave without her, but I was forced," she later recalled.

Years of Appeals and Uncertainty

Back in Kenya, Wanjiru faced a protracted wait. Officials told her a DNA test was required before Precious could be allowed to enter the country, stalling the process considerably.

At one point, she learnt that the woman caring for Precious was considering handing the child over to an orphanage because the repatriation was taking too long.

Wanjiru made repeated public appeals for help, including an emotional plea in which she sought help to bring her child home.

The breakthrough eventually came through coordinated efforts between the State Department for Diaspora Affairs, Saudi Arabian authorities and members of the Kenyan diaspora community, all working together to trace, document and facilitate Precious' return.

For Wanjiru, who spent years maintaining hope across the distance, the reunion represents the end of one of the most difficult chapters of her life. For Precious, it is simply the beginning of coming home.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.