Dream job turns nightmare as Tanzanian worker pleads for rescue from UAE

What she hoped would be a fresh start, she told Mwananchi newspaper, has instead become a cycle of hardship, alleged abuse and the withholding of her personal documents, including her passport.

She arrived on September 4 and began her first assignment shortly afterwards. Although initially optimistic, she said working conditions deteriorated within weeks.

At first, she believed the challenges stemmed from misunderstandings with her employer.

However, the situation worsened. Over several months, she worked in six different households, none for more than two months. In each case, she was either returned to the recruitment agency or left on her own.

 Throughout that period, she claims she was not paid for the work performed.

In a bid to end the ordeal, she contacted her recruitment agent requesting assistance to return to Tanzania and reorganise her life. She was allegedly told she would first have to repay all expenses incurred on her behalf, including airfare, permits and related charges amounting to more than Sh2.4 million.

“That is money I simply do not have,” she said. “In every house I worked, my salary was taken by the agency. I asked them to reduce the charges and allow me to pay the balance after I return home. All I want is to reach Tanzania first.”

Currently being sheltered temporarily by a Kenyan national in Port Saeed, Dubai, she alleges that both her Tanzanian and UAE-based agents have withheld her passport as leverage to compel repayment.

After following official channels, she sought help from the Tanzanian embassy. The acting ambassador of Tanzania to the UAE Mohammed Bakari Ameir confirmed that she had reported the matter. He said he had advised the agency to facilitate her return and recruit a replacement worker, but this had not been implemented.

He noted that such arrangements sometimes do not work out and likened them to business risks, arguing that she should be allowed to return home first before discussions on costs are pursued.

Her Tanzanian recruitment agent, Anath Iterere, acknowledged awareness of the case but maintained that the expenses must be repaid before the passport can be released.

Meanwhile, her UAE-based agent, identified as Aziza, said the passport is safe and would be returned once the outstanding costs are settled.

The chairperson of the Tanzania Recruitment Agencies Association (TRAA), Abdallah Khalid, said where a worker fails to cope with a job placement, the recruiting company bears responsibility for facilitating their return and providing a replacement.

“There is no other option,” he said.

Her ordeal

Zaidatu said her first placement involved long hours without rest and alleged sexual harassment by her employer. After one month and 20 days, she was returned to the agency without pay.

She was subsequently moved between households, in some cases staying only a few days before being sent back without explanation.

In one home, she was assigned to care for an elderly person despite lacking relevant experience. Each time she returned to the agency, she said she was required to start afresh without receiving her accrued wages.

At the sixth household, she said she reached breaking point.

She claims she woke at 10am and worked until 8pm daily without adequate rest, while her wages continued to be withheld.

She also alleges that she was denied communication with her family in Tanzania, even during a period when her daughter was reportedly hospitalised.

One night at around 2:30am, she said she was forced out of the agency’s office premises and sought refuge at a police station, where she spent the night outside as she had nowhere else to go.

Now stranded and fatigued, Zaidatu says her sole wish is to return home safely to Tanzania.