Kenyan Detained In Saudi Arabia Asks the Government To Intervene

Kalisto had been a licensed house driver in Saudi Arabia since May 2015, until he was taken for interrogations in the country’s immigration offices. He has been in detention at the deportation center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, since April 19, 2021, alongside detainees from Kenya and other countries.

Kalisto was accused of trafficking women and causing chaos. The Kenyan Embassy is said to have reported Kalisto to the Saudi government, leading to his arrest. His cases were dismissed as he was never found guilty, yet he is being detained. A letter dated February 15, 2018, confirmed that Kalisto was a member of the Kenyan Jaaliat Group in Saudi Arabia.

The Jaaliat group helped sick Kenyans, those in prison and police stations, helped bring Kenyan citizens back home and offered interpretation services to Kenyans.

“The group also helped in interpretation services to Kenyans who do not understand the Arabic language. Kindly accord Mr. Kalisto any assistance he needs,” read the letter.

Kalisto described his difficulties and struggles, including falling ill and almost losing his mother, who became sick after learning about his situation.

“We are more than 200 people in a single room, sometimes 300. We have no place to sleep, and sometimes the food is not enough for us,” he said.

He also claimed that contacting the embassy had been futile and wanted the government to intervene.

Kalisto’s brother told The Standard that he last saw him in 2017 and terms the situation as inhumane.

Kalisto’s detention was mentioned in the Kenyan parliament on November 2021 by the Nairobi Senator, Johnson Sakaja, who urged the government to help bring him and other detainees back to Kenya.

“One Kalisto was abducted and detained at the deportation center. Kalisto is not a criminal but a member of a community that helps Kenyans needing help while living in the Middle East,” said Mr. Sakaja.

The senator observed that Kalisto had never been charged since he was arrested in June 2020.

“We want him either charged, released, or deported back to his home country,” he said.

The Foreign Affairs office in Kenya said that they were not aware of the case.

“There are many cases in Saudi Arabia, has the person detained contacted us? We cannot know all the detainees,” said the receiver who wanted to be kept anonymous.