Roza Rozalina: Siaya house-help who moved the world

Her story is rare and heart-moving and is one of the few success stories of Kenyan workers in the Middle East which has been littered with tales of mistreatment, exploitation and even murder.

Roza Rozalina Samson, the kind-hearted woman from Rarieda in Siaya county, moved hearts across the globe this week after videos of her sharing an emotional farewell with her employer’s children at an airport in Lebanon went viral on social media.

Rozalina’s experience is one to marvel at and a demonstration that good people still exist on the planet.

In a TikTok video shared by her employers, Rosie, as she is now famously known among netizens, can be seen battling tears as the four desolate children’s parents clutch onto her and beg her not to travel back to Kenya.

For many, she is the house help from heaven that many families would wish to have for their families. But for Kenyans, the treatment by her employers is an indication that there are some good employers in the Middle East.

A search by The Nairobian has established that the house help from heaven enjoyed a good relationship with her employer, Maria Cataleya, for the period she was in her employ. 

The social media profile of her employer indicates that she has been sharing her videos with the children. The couple are active on social media and shares their lives with their online friends.

In one video, posted by one John GN, the family is seen celebrating Rosie’s birthday during which the husband describes her as family. Almost tearing up, Rosie carries the smaller children, twins, and proceeds to share a meal during which one of the kids feeds her.

From her videos, Rosie, who loves singing, is not your typical nanny - she appears disciplined and modern.

Her Tiktok account, which has 661,000 followers is replete with videos of her sharing light moments with the kids, often accompanied by music.   

In another video, her employer describes Rosie as her best friend. She says as a mother, she feels good knowing that the babies are in good hands while she is not around.

“Hi Kenyans, we love you all. Try to appreciate Rosie when you meet her on the street. Tell her to come back to us, please. Mommy misses Rosie the most and I am dying without her,” she says.

Expressing their gratitude and affection, the parents have continued to share more videos of the good moments between the children and Rosie, when she was still in Lebanon.

According to her employer, her children refer to Rosie as a mum and is a darling to them.

She adds that one just has to be human to give love.

“Rosie is not just a trend, she is a life lesson about reaping what you sow. Spread the love,” she says.

The family held a live video call with Rosie who is now in Kenya and their twins could not hide their sorrow. In the clip, the woman could be heard telling her to tag them along the next time she leaves for Kenya.

In one of the videos where Rosie is seen holding one of the twins, the mother says her daughter, Marie, is the most attached to Rosie and has not slept well since she travelled back home.

In another video shared by the mother of twins wrote that it was not just a job but love. Both Rosie and the father of the twins are seen to be squatting in a line waiting to see whom between the two the twins would run to. The first twin runs in the arms of Rosie, and the second one who appears undecided finally runs in the arms of Rosie as well.

In another video, the mother who is playing with one of the twins asks whom she wants between her and Rosie, and the baby says Rosie.

In yet another video, the mother is seen carrying the twins who are wailing, she asks Rosie to return, stating that when one has twins, one needs two mothers.

Sharp contrast

This story stands in contrast to the often grim narratives told by many who seek employment in the Middle East.

While some have returned to the country in caskets, others have been returned after a public outcry about their mistreatment by their employers.

Several families in Kenya also claimed that it has been rare to find kind-hearted house helps to take care of their children. Some claim they have encountered house girls from hell and wished they could get one like Rosie.

According to Maureen Mwavali, she has replaced almost five house helps.

“I was really touched by the video. I have been praying to get a house help like Rosie but I have not been successful,” she says.

Mwavali says her last house-help fled three months ago from their home in Nakuru after her children complained about her.

But she is not alone, another mother Josephine Ouko, claimed that her house-help stole money from her house and fled.

She praised Rosie and claimed she had a heart of gold for creating a strong bond with the children in a foreign country.

In the region, the victims of torture in the Middle East countries, have been pushing the Kenyan government to be held accountable for allowing thousands of Kenyan immigrants to get abused in those countries.

The victims tell stories of how they were tortured, raped, and assaulted in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Victims and families of people who have faced abuse while working as domestic workers in the Gulf recently petitioned Parliament to urgently come up with a policy that will address the plight of Kenyans working in foreign countries.

Under the Kenya Diaspora Workers and Opportunity Seekers Association (KEDIWOSA), the petitioners noted that over 35,000 workers in the Middle East were under various forms of threat.

According to government records, about 80,000 Kenyans have secured domestic jobs in the Middle East in the recent past and over 200 workers have been deported due to various grounds, including claims of sexual harassment, torture, and gross misconduct.

At the Senate, senators are pushing for new policies to safeguard the rights of Kenyans working in Middle East countries.

Last year, the Senate endorsed a motion by Nominated Senator Veronica Nduati recommending that the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection amends the national labour migration regulatory framework policy to address labour exportation management.