A Kenyan woman who travelled to Saudi Arabia for a domestic job has amused social media users after revealing that “Turki”, the family member she had been hired to feed and wash, turned out to be a pet iguana and not a child as she had assumed.
The woman, identified online as Keshie wa Stano, narrated in a social media post that her employer told her on arrival that several other workers were already employed in the household, which led her to believe her duties would be light since the chores were shared among many hands.
She was then told that her main responsibility would be to feed and bathe someone called Turki, a name that made her imagine she would be looking after a young child in need of special attention, and she prepared herself for what she thought would be a simple babysitting assignment.
When she reached her employer’s residence, however, she discovered that Turki was neither a baby nor any member of the family but an iguana, a reptile the household keeps as a pet, which meant the job she had travelled thousands of kilometres to take up was entirely different from what she had pictured.
Rather than describe the discovery as a shock that would send her back to Kenya, Keshie told the story with humour and urged other workers abroad not to be frightened by such reptiles, saying in a mix of Swahili and English that the animals pose no danger to those who care for them.
“Usiogope, they are friendly and harmless,” she said, which loosely translates as, “Do not be afraid, they are friendly and harmless.”
She went further to encourage fellow Kenyans working in the Gulf not to abandon their jobs over unexpected duties, reminding them that the reason they left home was to escape poverty and that hard work remained the only way forward.
“Usianze kupanga safari ya kurudi nyumbani. Tulisema adui ni umaskini tu, chapa mboka,” she said, which loosely translates as, “Do not start planning your journey back home. We said the only enemy is poverty, so just keep working hard.”
Her post drew wide reactions online, with many users relating to the surprises that come with seeking employment abroad, while others asked what they would have done had they arrived expecting to care for a baby only to be handed an iguana.
Beyond the humour, the story has renewed calls for job seekers heading to the Gulf to obtain clear details of their duties, working conditions and accommodation before they travel, since experiences differ widely depending on the employer and the household.
The account comes as another Kenyan domestic worker, identified as Atieno, reportedly cut short her one-year contract in Saudi Arabia, citing family challenges back home and deteriorating health, a reminder that personal circumstances can make it hard for some workers to complete their time abroad.
Thousands of East Africans, including Ugandans and Kenyans, travel to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states every year in search of domestic work to support their families back home.
