Kenya has repatriated 119 nationals rescued from illegal online scam compounds in Myanmar following coordinated raids by Myanmar authorities, with nearly 200 more still awaiting return amid complex security, diplomatic, and border conditions, according to the State Department for Diaspora Affairs (SDDA).
In a statement issued on Monday, December 22, 2025, the SDDA said the repatriations followed recent operations by Myanmar authorities and rebel groups targeting criminal syndicates operating scam compounds in remote border areas of Karen State, near the Thailand-Myanmar frontier.
The compounds, the department said, had been used to run online fraud schemes and recruited workers from across the world, including Kenyans, often “under false job promises”.
According to the statement, Myanmar government raids in September 2025 involved arrests, seizures, bombings, and demolitions of the facilities, triggering clashes between government forces and rebel factions.
As criminal operators fled, hundreds of foreign workers were left behind.
“Over 200 Kenyans sought refuge in military shelters in Myawaddy and Shwe Kokko, while another group of over 100 Kenyans crossed over to Thailand,” the SDDA said.
The Kenyan government said it activated emergency measures through the SDDA and the Kenya Embassy in Bangkok after receiving an initial list of 126 affected nationals.
These included creating WhatsApp groups to link families with officials for real-time updates, negotiating discounted group fares with Kenya Airways, issuing emergency travel documents, and coordinating safe passage with Thai authorities via the Thai-Myanmar Second Friendship Bridge.
“Through these measures, 119 individuals have been successfully repatriated,” the statement read, adding that seven Kenyans were still pending return due to last-minute flight cancellations.
On arrival in Kenya, returnees are interviewed by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations’ Transnational Organised Crime Unit to support efforts to prosecute the syndicates involved. Counselling services are also being provided to affected individuals and their families.
The SDDA said 198 Kenyans are currently awaiting repatriation, including 66 held at Thailand’s Immigration Detention Centre and 129 in shelters inside Myanmar. The embassy is also in contact with three Kenyans in a Caritas Catholic safe house in Cambodia. Repatriation efforts have slowed temporarily due to holiday border closures, with departures expected to resume after the festive period.
The government raised concern over what it described as “troubling patterns” among many of those stranded. Most, it said, had entered Thailand on tourist visas despite clear “employment prohibited” endorsements, while others had bypassed earlier government evacuations, including a major operation in March 2025, and “knowingly returned to scam work”.
“Government-funded rescues for those knowingly engaging in illegal scam activities risk moral hazard, undermining travel advisories, safe migration policies, and deterrence against transnational crime,” the statement said, urging remaining individuals or their families to procure return tickets independently.
The SDDA reiterated warnings against overseas job offers that promise tourist visas will later be converted into work permits, calling this “a clear red flag”. It said the government “remains committed to the welfare of its citizens abroad while insisting on personal responsibility, adherence to the law and travel advisories at all times.”
