‘I want to return to Africa’, says Kenyan taxi driver nearly strangled by horny passenger in Dubai (Video)

A Kenyan ride-hailing taxi driver, Brian Kiplimo, who was nearly strangled by a horny passenger in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, recently, has appealed to his home government to assist him in returning to Africa.

Kiplimo, 26, was doing his job when a passenger who is apparently gay started caressing him from the back seat. His rebuke of the unwanted attention led to a series of incidents that have made his sojourn in Dubai a nightmare.

The incident actually happened about three weeks ago, but the horrific video just made it to social media.

Kiplimo said he is no longer comfortable living in Dubai because of the threats that he has been receiving. He wants to return to Africa as soon as possible.

“I can pursue justice and follow the court case from there,” he said in an interview with the NationMedia of Kenya.

KIplimo arrived in Dubai only in August after being recruited by a local agency.

He borrowed money from friends and relatives to purchase tickets for his fare to Dubai. Upon arrival, he was placed with KABI Tax Company in Dubai. 

He told the Nation Media that the work was tasking, but he was enduring it because he was able to send something back home at the end of the month to support his family and offset his loans.

Things took a turn for the worse when, on November 8, he picked up a request from a passenger who indicated that he would not be the only one in the car.

However, when Kiplimo arrived, he met only one passenger, who appeared soft-spoken and calm. 

Kiplimo disclosed that he verified the man’s details and commenced the 2.5-kilometre journey from Dubai Harbour, where he picked him to JBR.

When the car was about 600 meters from the drop-off point, the passenger quietly shifted seats to be directly behind the driver.

Brian Kiplimo said he read no meaning to it and thought the man was probably not comfortable on the right-hand side and shifted to the left.

Shortly afterwards, the man reached out to Kiplimo’s shoulders and worked his way to the driver’s nipple area. Kiplimore shook his hands off and told him to keep his hands off him.

The passenger took the rebuff badly and reached for Kiplimo’s neck, strangling him. 

“I told him to stop; that this is not acceptable, but he kept tightening his grip,” the driver said.

In a moment of panic, Kiplimo removed his hands from the steering wheel to release the passenger’s hold on his neck so he could get some air.

In the process, the car reportedly smashed into a pavement. Kiplimo said he struggled with the man’s stranglehold with one hand and pressed the horn with the other to attract attention.

He believed that the move saved his life as his assailant relaxed his grip, giving him the opportunity to undo his seatbelt, fling the door open and flee.

A motorcyclist who saw what was happening from behind reportedly came to his rescue and called the police and ambulance. 

Second layer of trouble for Brian Kiplimo

The ambulance took him to Rashid Hospital with a swollen neck and a hoarse, fading voice.

However, ostensibly because he was a foreigner, the hospital demanded money before they could give him a medical report. 

The Kenyan said he had to call his friends in Dubai, who contributed money for him.

At the police station, he ran into another hitch. The Police asked for the dashcam footage, which was a critical piece of evidence. He needed a flash drive to extract the footage, but had no money to get one.  

Brian Kiplimo said he called his relatives back home, and they raised some money he used to purchase the device.

That hurdle scaled, the police asked him to come with a company representative, but KABI Taxi Company declined. They told him the best they could do was to give him a letter written entirely in Arabic and a counsellor.

He said he needed treatment because his physical health was deteriorating, but the company was not bothered.

Kiplimo said his neck was swollen and his voice was fading.

“For a whole week, I begged my employer to help me get treatment. I was turned away,” he lamented.

Frustrated, he said he went to the Kenyan Consulate on November 15, seeking protection. His compatriots there called the employer, pleading with them to assist. 

Brian Kiplimo said the company promised to help, but when he returned to the office, they accused him of reporting them to the Kenyan Consulate and declined to offer him medical care.

Next, he was accused of absconding from duty, but he asked rhetorically how they wanted him to work when he could not even breathe properly.

Kiplimo has now been served with a warning by his employers that he would be marked as a runaway employee, a designation that can lead to his arrest in the UAE.

He said he asked them for his passport so he could leave the country, but they declined to give him unless he paid an unspecified amount of money.

He said he has nothing to give, he is ill and unable to work, but the company is unyielding.

Kiplimo called on the Kenyan government to come to his rescue.

See the dramatic moment the Kenyan driver was almost strangled to death here.

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