Kenyans looking for jobs abroad have been warned that a promising employment offer can quickly turn into a nightmare if it is not verified before they leave the country.
Justice Nzioki Wa Makau of the Employment and Labour Relations Court has urged jobseekers to confirm overseas employment offers with the Ministry of Labour before travelling, saying some Kenyans have arrived in foreign countries only to discover that the jobs and working conditions were completely different from what they had been promised.
Speaking on Radio Generation on Thursday, Makau said some migrant workers have ended up returning home after being given jobs that bore little resemblance to the positions they had accepted before travelling.
He said others have faced harsh working conditions, including having their passports taken away, going without pay, working for long hours and being denied rest days, with such cases particularly reported among some Kenyan workers in the Middle East.
“Others who end up having a job that is contrary to what they had signed up for, others suffering indignity, like in the Middle East, where you could get your passport confiscated, no pay, working extra hours,” he said.
Makau also explained that Kenyan courts can handle employment disputes involving citizens working outside the country because overseas labour arrangements are covered by legal processes involving the Kenyan government, including treaties and bilateral agreements.
He cited the case of a woman from Kisii County who paid a recruiter Sh300,000 after being promised a food-packing job in Thailand that would earn her $2,000 a month.
Instead of starting the job she had been promised, the woman was allegedly trafficked from Thailand into Myanmar, where her phone and travel documents were confiscated.
She was then forced to take part in online scams and was beaten whenever she failed to meet the required targets. She was also denied food and remained in the facility for between six and eight months.
Her ordeal ended after Thai authorities raided the compound and rescued about 20 people, including some Kenyans.
The woman later took legal action against the recruiter and the National Employment Authority (NEA), but Makau said the court found that she could not hold the authority responsible because she had failed to establish that she had checked whether the recruiter was registered.
The judge said such cases show why Kenyans seeking employment outside the country should first confirm the legitimacy of recruiters and job offers through the relevant government offices.
He advised jobseekers to begin the process at the Ministry of Labour before making travel arrangements.
“In relation to employment, the best place to start is any desk where you can go to the office and ask, ‘Natafuta office ya labour,’” he said.
Makau further warned Kenyans against travelling to foreign countries on visas that do not allow them to work.
He said jobseekers should ensure that they have obtained the correct work permit before travelling, stressing that “you can't go to a country to work on a tourist visa.”
He also pointed to Kenyan labour attachés stationed in countries where many Kenyans seek employment, saying they can help confirm whether employers and job offers are genuine.
“If you know that you are going to go abroad, please check with the ministry. Just find out,” he said.
The warning comes as concerns persist over the treatment of Kenyan migrant workers, particularly those recruited to work in the Gulf region.
An ILO assessment published in 2025 listed high recruitment costs, changes to employment contracts, abuse and weak regulation of private employment agencies among the major challenges affecting workers along the Kenya-Gulf migration corridor.
The US State Department has also reported that Kenyans are recruited for overseas jobs through both legitimate and fraudulent agencies, leaving some workers exposed to forced labour, domestic servitude and other forms of exploitation.
More than 200,000 Kenyans are estimated to be working in Saudi Arabia, where reports have included cases of workers having their passports confiscated, wages withheld and being made to work excessive hours.
Makau’s warning therefore puts the responsibility on jobseekers to confirm the legitimacy of an offer, the recruiter and the required work documents before leaving Kenya, rather than waiting until they arrive abroad to discover that the promised job does not exist.