HOW TO AVOID JAIL AND GO BACK HOME

A reader sent me a question asking if a person who has run away from their employer can avoid jail and go back to Kenya during the ongoing crackdown.  

Most expats, Kenyans included are not aware of Saudi laws on workers who have run-away from their employees. A worker who has run-away or absconded duties is normally classified and reported as Huroob(Escapee) by his Kafeel or employer and the employers normally do this so as to not find themselves on the wrong side of the law and be held liable incase his/her run-away employee is caught in illegal activities. Once your employer has reported you as Huroob, that means you are illegally in the kingdom and you are at a risk of facing a jail term.

But, can a run-away expat avoid jail and hefty fines and go back home safely? Yes you can but under certain conditions. A run-away expat will have to meet certain conditions to avoid spending longer periods in jail and go home within atleast 72 hours. Below are the conditions for Kenyans which also is similar to expats of other nationalities.

1.    You have not been involved in any criminal activity- you have to make sure you criminals records are clean since a screening of your details will be done by the police and several agencies.

2.    Have a copy of your passport- Although this is not necessary but it’s helpful and to speed up the process of getting your name cleared from the embassy and be issued with an emergency passport.

3.    Surrender to the Kenyan Embassy- it’s better to surrender yourself to the embassy than be caught on the streets by police in which you will have to spend a week or so in jail.

4.    Ensure you don’t have unpaid fines- This relates mostly to drivers

5.    You are capable of paying for you one-way return ticket to Kenya- If you can’t pay for your own ticket then it will be obvious that you will be a guest of the Kingdom and “enjoy” some delicacies of Kabsa.

6.    DON’T CARRY HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY WITH YOU WHEN YOU ARE SURRENDERING YOURSELF

Once you meet the above conditions and coordinate with the embassy then you will have saved yourself from spending time in Saudi jails and you will be on your next flight back to +254.

A post on how to get your final exit processed with the Kenyan embassy will follow soon.

Comments, questions and suggestion are welcomed!