NAIROBI, Kenya — Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu has rebuffed allegations that Kenyan mothers and their children are trapped in Saudi Arabia due to unprocessed DNA test results.
In response to statements by Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thangwa, who claimed the government had failed to return DNA results taken three years ago — preventing a Kenyan woman from Vihiga County and her eight-year-old daughter from returning home — PS Njogu clarified that DNA results are not required for issuing Kenyan birth certificates for children born abroad.
“DNA samples are not required for birth certificates to be issued—but they can be relied on when parents cannot produce birth certificates,” Njogu said in a statement on Thursday, November 13.
She noted that all applications submitted under the 2023 DNA project have already been processed, and to date, 73 children and over 50 mothers have been repatriated.
Senator Thangwa had alleged that Kenyan mothers in Saudi Arabia are systematically delayed, saying: “Her samples and those of many others were collected almost three years ago by officials… three years later, no results, no updates, and no answers.”
He vowed to raise the issue in the Senate and demand accountability from the Kenyan Embassy in Riyadh.
Senator Thangwa said, “How many more mothers must wait? How many children must grow up stateless, homeless, and forgotten while offices trade silence and bureaucracy? It’s time we all turn our eyes to the Kenyan Embassy in Riyadh and demand accountability.”
PS Njogu invited the senator to provide specific details of any outstanding applications so that her team could investigate and support the mothers and children concerned.
The issue highlights ongoing challenges facing Kenyan nationals abroad — particularly women and children born to mothers working in Saudi Arabia — where legal complications around citizenship, documentation, and repatriation have been spotlighted in recent years.
