The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs has raised the alarm over a growing and sophisticated form of human trafficking targeting Kenyans seeking employment abroad, warning that the criminal networks behind it now pose a national security risk.
In their third quarterly media briefing on Kenya’s foreign policy report at the Ministry headquarters in Nairobi, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi revealed that hundreds of Kenyans have been trafficked to Southeast Asia under the guise of lucrative job offers, only to end up in forced labour and cybercrime rings.
Victims are reportedly forced into online scamming, illegal cryptocurrency trade, forced labour, and, in extreme cases, human organ harvesting.
“It is a sophisticated menace where our citizens, often lured by fraudulent job advertisements and agents purportedly in places like Thailand, are trafficked to South East Asia for exploitation, including forced labour, online scamming, illegal cryptocurrency trade, and even the horrific prospect of human organ harvesting,” Mudavadi said.
Mudavadi said that since July 2022, the Kenyan Embassy in Bangkok has rescued and facilitated the repatriation of approximately 500 Kenyan victims.
The Embassy is accredited to several countries in the region, including Thailand and Myanmar, where many of the cases have been reported.
Currently, 126 Kenyans are awaiting repatriation, 69 in Thailand and 57 in Myanmar, while others remain under the control of local militia groups.
He noted that the rescue and repatriation efforts continue despite logistical and diplomatic challenges.
According to the CS, a recent media report highlighted the case of a Kenyan arrested at a Thai airport for using a fake immigration stamp.
Mudavadi said the individual had previously been rescued from a scam compound and repatriated in March 2025, but later illegally re-entered Thailand to work for a scam company in Myanmar.
After a crackdown by regional authorities, he was arrested while attempting to fly home.
“This is a case to show that some of the victims are not innocent but part of the criminal network. 5 16. A major concern is that rescued individuals, now trained in cybercrime, pose a national security risk by potentially establishing scam operations in Kenya upon their return,” the report read.
“Recommendations focus on a nationwide awareness campaign, strengthening legal frameworks, and enhancing victim support and integration. Officials expressed deep concern that some returnees, having been trained in sophisticated cybercrime techniques, could establish similar scam operations in Kenya.”
This, they warned, presents a potential national security threat that requires coordinated national action.
To address the challenge, the Ministry recommended a nationwide awareness campaign to warn Kenyans against fraudulent recruitment schemes.
It also called for the strengthening of legal frameworks and the enhancement of victim support and reintegration programs for returnees.
