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Kenyans abroad are calling on their diaspora leaders and organizations to rally their networks and help 22-year-old Joy Aoko, who was assaulted and left for the dead in Albania, find medical help and justice.
Joy, as she’s fondly known by her first name, was brutally assaulted by unknown assailants between August 13 and August 14. Her unconscious body was discovered outside her apartment on August 14, and she was rushed to a local hospital, where she remains unconscious.
Suzy Lavi, a good samaritan living in Albania and one of the people who has started a GoFundMe effort to raise funds for Joy, said they had received estimates that her treatment would cost approximately $500,000.
How to Donate
Click here to access Joy’s GoFundMe Page.
Send MPESA to Joy’s Mother Ruth Abong’o:
+254-721943018
Tevin Oduor
Till Number: 5926407
Click here to view Lavi’s account of what we know so far about Joy’s assault case
“Let’s face it; the reality is we need a huge harambee to raise enough money to save her life. We cannot do that effectively if the diaspora leaders and organizations are not fully engaged. If every Kenyan in the diaspora gave $5, we can get the money to pay the hospital bill in one day.” Francis Kamau.
The vast amount of money needed has some appealing to Kenyan leaders in the diaspora to rally their networks in the harambee spirit and raise funds for her treatment.
“Let’s face it; the reality is we need a huge harambee to raise enough money to save her life. We cannot do that effectively if the diaspora leaders and organizations are not fully engaged,” Francis Kamau, a US resident, said. “If every Kenyan in the diaspora gave $5, we can get the money to pay the hospital bill in one day.”
Her mother, Ruth Abong’o, said her daughter went to Albania in February 2022 for an opportunity to advance her life and joined the workforce as a casino operator.
She described Joy as a loving daughter, a go-getter, and a kind person who always lit up a room with her generosity and positive spirit. The mother said Joy, the last born of three children, already made a lasting impact in her life when she paid for her to move from her home in Dandora to Buru Buru, a better neighborhood in Nairobi.
Lavi said she first met Joy after responding to a blood donation request for a Ghanaian lady. But when she went to the hospital, she discovered Joy was a Kenyan. She later learned the severity of the attack Joy sustained, which included broken ribs and pelvic bones and injuries to her stomach and back.
“We don’t really know what happened to Joy, but it’s a big possibility that she was raped, and she was for sure asphyxiated, which means generally somebody tried to kill her,” Lavi said.
Lavi said doctors told her Joy would not survive, but she has continued to make remarkable progress in her recovery.
“When I met Joy, I was told she would die that night, but Joy is a fighter; she didn’t die. I was told she would not come out of the oxygen-breathing tube, and she came out of that,” Lavi said, illustrating how Joy has overcome dire medical predictions and showed continued improvement.”
Hopes for Saving her Life Grow
News about her improvement is bringing hope that if given proper medical care, she could recover and achieve her life dreams.
Kamau is one of several Kenyans who view this as an opportunity for diaspora leaders and organizations to bring Kenyans together toward a worthy cause.
“This is the time we need them to be out there rallying other Kenyans. “Where’s KDA and OVC? Where’s Diaspora County 48? Where’s Shem Ochuodho? Or all those people in the Diaspora WhatsApp groups?”These are the times when we need them to act on behalf of the diaspora, not just when they’re looking for political clout,” Kamau said.
Kamau, a healthcare professional, said Kenyans in the diaspora need to come together in such moments regardless of their country of residence.
Albania, a former communist nation with a population of 2.7 million, is not a popular immigration destination for Kenyans. But it appears Joy, and other Kenyans found opportunity there in the gaming industry.
But the nation’s medical facilities are not equipped to cater to Joy’s current condition. Options are to take her for treatment to neighboring European nations such as Italy and Turkey, where the cost is estimated to be around $50,000 per month.
“When I met Joy, I was told she would die that night, but Joy is a fighter; she didn’t die. I was told she would not come out of the oxygen-breathing tube, and she came out of that,” Suzy Lavi, a Kenyan and Albanian resident, who is helping Obong’o take care of Joy at the hospital.
KDA-USA President Saisi Marasa empathized with Joy’s situation. He said his organization plays a leading role in advocating for the Kenyan diaspora rights, and he took action when he became aware of Joy’s predicament.
“We have fought for the right for the diaspora to vote all the way to the Supreme Court. We have raised the alarm for the help of many Kenyans in distress, including far-flung regions like Russia, Ukraine, Middle East domestic workers abuse, etc.” Marasa said. “We have raised thousands of dollars to support various benevolent causes affecting Kenyans in the diaspora. Are we able to cover every case? certainly not, but we try.”
Marasa said after he shared Joy’s story narrated on the GoFundMe page with his organization and networks, he received feedback from people ready to help.
“Several people texted me after sharing Joy’s go fund details. Her story touched a raw nerve in all of us. We pray she recovers quickly,” Marasa said.
Margaret Rulhoff, a Kenyan residing in Germany, has taken a leading role in the fundraising effort on several diaspora WhatsApp groups. She said she noticed a spike in fundraising after Marasa shared the link with his organization, a sign that leaders can have an impact.
“Dr. Marasa, so far, is the only one who shared this directly with KDA -USA. He has given the GoFundMe a big push,” Rulhoff said.
UK-based Diaspora County 48 leader Bernard Kavyu said he has offered all his WhatsApp platforms to be used for fundraising efforts and has rallied support for the cause.
“Fellow Diasporans, this is one of us who has suffered an unfathomable and cruel injustice in the diaspora,” Kavyu said in a WhatsApp post. “This is totally unacceptable and we must all in one voice rise up and fight for the rights of one of our own. Let’s donate generously and assist the family.”
He also said he reached out to Roseline Njogu, Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Diaspora Affairs, on behalf of Joy’s family.
Kavyu urged Kenyans to join Diaspora County 48 WhatsApp groups to connect with other Kenyans abroad.
Njogu said she was aware of Joy’s case but did not share much about what her department was doing to help.
“We are in touch with her family,” Njogu said in a Twitter direct message to The Africana Voice. She did not, however, share what steps the government was taking to help.
Abong’o confirmed she had received communication from Njogu and she’s in direct contact with the Kenyan embassy in Italy, which is responsible for Albania.
Fundraising efforts Gain Momentum
A GoFundMe page has been established to raise funds for the effort. Kenyans are also sending money directly through MPESA number: +254-721943018 belonging to Ruth Abong’o, Joy’s mother, who has moved to Albania to be by her comatose daughter’s bedside.
According to her mother, Abongo, Joy, was attacked after speaking to her by text on August 13.
Her last words were a text message that she was enjoying her left-over rice and beef stew dinner, a Kenyan staple.
Appearing on KDRTV with host Eng. Kebwato Omweri, Abong’o, said she learned her daughter was in critical condition after somebody from the HR department of the Albanian casino she worked for sent her a WhatsApp message saying her daughter had an accident and she was in the intensive care unit (ICU).
She said the message puzzled her because she had spoken to her daughter the previous night, and she was well. She traveled to Albania in September to be at her unconscious daughter’s bedside in the hospital, where she has remained ever since.
Abongo said the police told her that Joy had attempted suicide, but she did not believe them. When she went to her apartment, she found the room still in disarray. Her phone was yanked from the charger, and the food she told her she was eating on the night of August 13 and the utensils, were scattered all over the bed.
On August 14, two Georgian girls, who are also employed by the casino, discovered her unconscious outside her apartment, Abong’o said.
Joy’s roommate, a Kenyan woman, has, however, inexplicably declined to speak to Abong’o about the incident.
But sources in Albania reported that the casino cautioned employees not to speak about the incident.
Investigations to bring her justice are still ongoing, and so is the fundraising effort to save her life.
By the time of publication, the effort had yielded over $2,000 in small MPESA donations toward the required $500,000 needed for her treatment. An updated tally of money raised will be posted in Diaspora WhatsApp groups.
Rulhoff said the momentum is picking up and there are encouraging signs coming from back home.
Almost $22,000 has been raised through the
GoFundMe platform from under 400 donations, which brings the grand total money raised so far to roughly around $24,000.
But Kenyans are hopeful that if diasporan leaders take up the cause, the money will be raised.
“If the diaspora leaders engage their circles like they did during the campaigns, we’ll raise all the money we need for Joy’s treatment in one day,” Teresa, a diasporan, who asked we use only her first name, said. “We just need to declare one day and do a big push to raise the money.”
Teresa said the new Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs should also get more involved in the case and show that Kenya cares for its people.
“The previous government failed us in Saudi Arabia, where our people were tortured and even killed. The Ruto guys should not fail us in Albania. This is their litmus test,” Teresa said.
While there has not been clear action from the government, several sources say Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua is aware of Joy’s case.
Teresa, however, cautioned against hoping the government would provide any assistance because of the current economic situation at home and the bureaucracy it takes to make for a government to act.
“In such an emergency situation, we cannot rely on GOK. They, too, are asking for our remittances to survive,” Teresa said. “Not that they don’t want to help, but just because of all the obstacles that are there to get them to approve it. Kenyans just need to show up for Joy and raise funds needed.”
Joy’s case has captured the Kenyan imagination globally. Her story has been featured in several Kenyan media, including KDRTV with and on Lynn Ngugi’s Tales of Wanjiku popular YouTube Channel, among others.
Ochuodho did not respond to our request for comment, and we’re yet to reach OVC leadership to hear their point of view.
At the conclusion of her interview with Omweri, Abong’o expressed gratitude to Kenyans for the outpouring of support they have given her and Joy. She appealed for more assistance to raise funds and asked for recommendations for expert doctors who could assist in her daughter’s rehabilitative treatment.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Article updated to include a quote from Bernard Kavyu, Diaspora County 48 Leader.
CORRECTION: Our original version of the story said the food and utensils was scattered all over the room. The accurate account is the food and utensils were found scattered on the bed.
NOTE: the contribution amounts stated in this article are just estimates at the time of our publication. Accurate accounting can only be provided by parties involved in the fundraising and reported in various diaspora WhatsApp groups.
The article has also been updated for clarity. We’ll continue to update and adjust as details and more news emerge.
Below find the video of Suzy Lavi and Ruth Abong’o giving an account of Joy’s status at the beginning of the 2023.
