8 Kenyan Workers Detained in Libya Amid Unpaid Wages

A Kenyan woman living in Libya has issued a desperate plea to the authorities back at home after eight Kenyan migrant workers were arrested and imprisoned in Benghazi following a confrontation over months of unpaid salaries.

Monica Wanjiru, who is also known as Princess Monica online, said the men were detained on March 21 after attempting to press their employer for wages they claimed had not been paid for several months.

The situation reportedly escalated when a language barrier arose between the workers and local security staff at the workplace, prompting the employer to call the police.

All eight men were subsequently arrested and are now being held at Kuwezia Prison in the eastern Libyan city.

Wanjiru, speaking in a video circulated by diaspora media outlets, described the workers as vulnerable, with their families in Kenya left without clear information about their legal status or conditions in custody, while she appealed directly to Nairobi for help.

She alleged that efforts to engage Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs and the State Department for Diaspora Affairs had so far met with no response.

Wanjiru called on the government to use diplomatic channels to secure their release and ensure their safety while in custody.