Distress as Kenyan Woman Goes Missing After Job Contract in Lebanon

A family in Uasin Gishu County has appealed for help to locate their daughter, Vicoty Jeruto, who went missing in Lebanon after completing her work contract.

Jeruto, from Ziwa Ward in Soy Constituency, travelled to Beirut in November 2023 through a Nairobi-based recruitment agent, Mary Kagunda, in search of employment. Her relatives say she completed her contract in early 2025 after working for one year and four months.

They report that her situation later worsened when her employer restricted her movement instead of facilitating her return home. The family last communicated with Jeruto between March and April 2025. During that period, she remained hopeful about her future. However, all contact stopped in May 2025, and even an intermediary who had occasionally provided updates is no longer reachable.

There are unconfirmed reports that she may have been moved from Beirut to a location referred to as Surtaiya. Her family says they have been unable to verify this information.

Her mother, Sally Cherop, continues to struggle with the uncertainty surrounding her daughter’s whereabouts. Her brother, Kelvin Cheruiyot, has joined other relatives in appealing to Kenyans in Lebanon and elsewhere to assist in tracing her. The family says they have not received any communication from her and remain uncertain about her safety.

The family has called on government authorities, civil society organisations, and members of the public to assist in locating Jeruto, saying that any information could help bring her home.