Beware: Govt lists 5 countries as danger destinations for Kenyan jobseekers
This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.
- A new government report names Myanmar, Cambodia, Russia, Iran and India among the most worrying destinations for Kenyan workers
- The State Department for Diaspora Affairs repatriated 4,928 Kenyans in distress between 2023-24 and 2025-26
- Officials warned that labour migration is increasingly being exploited as a cover for transboundary crime, including drug trafficking and online fraud
Kenya's State Department for Diaspora Affairs repatriated 4,928 citizens in distress over a three-year period spanning 2023-24 to 2025-26, with 82 of those individuals returning home in body bags, according to the Subsector Medium-Term Expenditure Framework Report for 2027-28 to 2029-30.
The report, which reviews the department's performance over the past three years and maps priorities for the next three, identifies Myanmar, Cambodia, Russia, Iran and India as increasingly dangerous destinations alongside traditionally flagged Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE.
Scale of the Crisis
Repatriations were carried out across more than 20 countries, including Sudan, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Lebanon, Tanzania, South Africa, Jordan, the UK, Australia, Egypt, Spain and Somalia. Among the total repatriated, 583 Kenyans were confirmed victims of human trafficking or smuggling, while 239 others were specifically evacuated from Cambodia and South Africa.
Beyond physical rescue, the department provided counselling, psychological first aid and psychosocial support to 1,569 Kenyans in distress and their families through consular visits, outreach programmes, evacuations and walk-in services.
Irregular Migration Fuelling Exploitation
Diaspora Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu attributed the bulk of distress cases to Kenyans who travelled abroad through irregular channels, bypassing formal recruitment and legal safeguards.
The report raises particular concern about the vulnerability of young Kenyans entering international labour markets.
It notes that migrants often carry limited savings, lack reliable support networks and take on greater personal risk in pursuit of economic opportunity, leaving them exposed to sexual abuse and labour exploitation due to limited bargaining power when entering employment contracts.
The government also flagged a troubling pattern in which labour migration is being used to mask transboundary criminal activity. Some Kenyan migrant workers, the report states, have been subjected to forced labour, drug trafficking, money laundering and online fraud after arriving at their destinations.
Weak enforcement of labour-mobility laws and unregulated migration channels were identified as root causes. The report states these gaps have enabled exploitative recruitment practices and placed workers in unsafe conditions with little legal recourse.
"Through repatriation and evacuation, the government protects the lives of Kenyans by reducing psychological and financial burden of the Kenyan diaspora in crisis as well as providing a structured path back home," the report says.
The findings come as Kenya continues to expand its international labour market agreements, raising questions about whether diplomatic protections are keeping pace with the growing number of Kenyans seeking work abroad.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.