Kenyan Woman Reportedly Missing in Iraq After Detention in Mosul
Kenyan national Margret Njeri Munai from Kilimambogo in Thika, Kiambu County, has reportedly gone missing in Iraq after being detained by police in Mosul, according to friends and members of the Kenyan community in the country.
Munai is said to have travelled to Iraq with a companion through an employment agency identified as Al Adwaa Agency, also known by some workers as Sheila Agency. She had reportedly secured work as a domestic worker in Mosul after being promised stable employment and better pay.
Friends allege that her situation deteriorated after she experienced abuse and mistreatment at her employer’s home. They claim she later attempted to escape with assistance from other Kenyan nationals living in Iraq.
According to those familiar with the matter, the escape attempt failed during the journey after a disagreement over transport payments. Munai was allegedly left at a police checkpoint between Mosul and the Kurdistan region.
Sources say Iraqi police detained her after discovering that she did not have a valid residence permit, known as an iqama, and that her visa had expired. Her last communication was reportedly from a police station in Mosul, where she told friends she was undergoing fingerprint processing.
Her phone later became unreachable, and there has been no further contact.
Her employer has reportedly claimed that Munai was later accused of theft and transferred to a women’s prison, although these allegations have not been independently verified.
Friends and members of the Kenyan community in Iraq say they have tried to trace her through local authorities and detention centres without success. Friends of Munai are appealing to the Kenyan government, human rights organisations and the Kenyan embassy in Iraq to intervene and help establish her whereabouts.
They say urgent action is needed to ensure her safety and secure access to legal and consular support.
