A Kenyan woman working as a househelp in Saudi Arabia has died after collapsing during a game of football with her employer's son, Pulse Live Kenya reported. A video of her last moments has since gone viral. The outlet named the woman only as Joy.
According to Pulse Live Kenya, Joy and the boy were kicking a red ball around inside the family home. Her employer was filming them and could be heard cheering in the background. Joy then suddenly fell to the floor in the corridor and began convulsing. The startled boy moved away as the employer rushed to check on her.
The footage shows the employer calling Joy's name again and again as she lay on the floor. Pulse Live Kenya said the video also appears to show her struggling to breathe moments before she fell. She was rushed to hospital, where doctors reportedly found she had suffered a heart attack.
Her close friend, Ruth Kerubo, shared the news of her death on Facebook. Kerubo said Joy might have survived if she had stopped playing when she began to feel unwell. Earlier medical help could have saved her, she suggested. "If only she said she was feeling bad and didn't insist on playing further, maybe she could have been rushed to the hospital, and she would still be alive. Rest in peace, Joy," she wrote.
Joy had gone to Saudi Arabia in search of better economic opportunities and to support her family back in Kenya, the outlet reported. Friends and the Kenyan community in Saudi Arabia are mourning her.
Pulse Live Kenya said her death raises serious concerns about the welfare of Kenyans working in the Gulf. It pointed to growing reports of sudden deaths, often linked to heart complications. The outlet called for an urgent investigation into medical, work and living-condition factors that could be putting Kenyan workers at risk.