Human trafficking risks rise on western borders – report

The Salvation Army has sounded an alarm over growing human trafficking threats along Kenya’s western entry points that have left border communities increasingly exposed.

A new assessment from the Church’s Oyana Anti-Human Trafficking Project Phase 2 says areas such as Busia, Malaba, Isebania and Kehancha remain major hotspots.

The report attributed the threats to poverty, unemployment and weakening social support systems.

The findings were shared during a workshop held in Kisumu, bringing together project staff, Salvation Army leaders and partners to review progress and map out future interventions. 

Evaluation consultant Jackson Ongoma described the situation in Isebania as troubling.

He highlighted a surge in cases involving missing children, sexual exploitation and minors being transported across the Kenya-Tanzania border under misleading promises. 

Ongoma said youth unemployment is driving many young people towards traffickers, who lure them with false promises of employment abroad. 

Many victims return home traumatised, unwell or trapped in debt as families struggle to cover repatriation costs.

He said domestic violence is also forcing children out of unstable homes, making them easy targets for exploitation.

Despite the challenges, Ongoma said communities are more informed than before, with more than 70 per cent of residents now able to identify trafficking indicators and use formal reporting systems. 

He also emphasised a shift in public understanding, saying more people now recognise that trafficking is not limited to cross-border movement but also includes internal abuses such as sexual exploitation, manipulation and forced labour within households.

The report shows strengthened community resilience through Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), with some groups saving up to Sh200,000 to support school fees, small businesses and farm activities.

Income-generating initiatives like poultry farming, introduced under the project, have also helped stabilise vulnerable households.

Project manager Karen Mwenesi said the findings reflect on what the Salvation Army has witnessed while working across western Kenya’s border communities. 

She said project has invested in intensive training sessions, equipping residents with knowledge on modern forms of slavery, reporting mechanisms and the early signs of trafficking. 

Significant work has been conducted in Busia, Malaba, Bungoma, Eldoret, Sondu, Migori and Kehancha.

These areas are regarded as major transit corridors used by travellers from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

 “Busia and Malaba are critical entry. Many travellers first settle in Bungoma and Eldoret, while others proceed to Kisumu. That is why Sondu was incorporated into the project,” Mwenesi said.

She said local volunteers stationed within border communities have played an essential role in running sensitisation campaigns, ensuring even remote villages receive information about trafficking risks. 

According to Mwenesi, prevention remains a central focus of the programme.

The project team works closely with survivors, families at risk and households affected by trafficking.

 Survivors receive counselling, guidance and support as they rebuild their lives, while vulnerable families are trained on how to safeguard themselves from exploitation.

The church has also been collaborating with the Directorate of Children Services, the police, judiciary officials, NGOs and community leaders to strengthen referrals, repatriation and reintegration processes. 

Partners at the workshop developed long-term strategies aimed at sustaining and expanding anti-trafficking initiatives across western Kenya’s border regions.