US sounds alarm as hundreds of Kenyans rescued from scam centres abroad.

The United States Embassy in Nairobi has raised the alarm over criminal networks trafficking Kenyans to Southeast Asia and forcing them to work in online scam centres, revealing that hundreds of citizens were rescued from the illegal operations in 2026.

In an update issued on Friday, November 6, the embassy said the United States was targeting criminal organisations involved in trafficking Kenyans and other foreign nationals, who are lured abroad with false job offers before being forced to participate in online fraud schemes.

The warning comes amid growing concerns over the exploitation of Kenyan job seekers through fraudulent overseas recruitment, with the 2026 US Trafficking in Persons Report highlighting the scale of the problem and the challenges facing the country's efforts to combat human trafficking.

The report retained Kenya in Tier 2, acknowledging steps taken by the government to address human trafficking while pointing to persistent weaknesses in prosecuting offenders, protecting victims and preventing exploitation.

According to the assessment, Kenya does not fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking but is making efforts to address the problem.

Among the progress recorded were increased identification of trafficking victims, stronger partnerships with non-governmental organisations and the return of Kenyans who had been exploited in online scam operations in Southeast Asia.

However, the report raised concerns over a drop in the number of prosecutions and convictions, inadequate support services for survivors and allegations that some government officials were working with trafficking networks.

Decline in Human Trafficking Prosecutions

The assessment showed that Kenyan authorities investigated 43 human trafficking cases in 2025, slightly higher than the 42 recorded in 2024.

Of the cases investigated, 13 involved sex trafficking, 11 concerned labour trafficking, while 19 were classified as unspecified forms of trafficking.

Despite the investigations, the number of cases taken to court dropped sharply, with the government prosecuting 14 cases during the reporting period, compared with 44 in 2024.

Convictions also declined, with six traffickers found guilty under the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2010, against 21 convictions recorded in the previous year.

The six convicted individuals included five sex traffickers and one person involved in forced labour.

In sentencing, two of the sex traffickers received 30 years in prison, while three others were handed 20-year sentences. The individual convicted of forced labour was sentenced to 10 years behind bars.

The report further pointed out that proposed changes to the 2010 anti-trafficking law had yet to receive government approval for the fifth consecutive reporting period.

The amendments seek to eliminate the option of imposing fines in place of prison sentences for people convicted of human trafficking offences.

How Kenyans Are Lured Into Scam Centres

Online fraud centres operating across Southeast Asia emerged as one of the major trafficking threats facing Kenyan job seekers.

According to the report, criminal networks use social media, smartphone applications and fake recruitment advertisements to attract unsuspecting Kenyans with promises of well-paying jobs in technology, education and hospitality.

Many of those targeted are aged between 18 and 38 and are initially recruited for supposed employment opportunities in Thailand before being moved to neighbouring countries, including Myanmar, Malaysia and Laos.

Once they arrive, some discover that the promised jobs do not exist and are instead forced to work in online scam centres, where criminal organisations compel them to participate in fraudulent internet activities.

The assessment also identified Burma, now commonly known as Myanmar, as a destination linked to investigations involving Kenyan recruitment agencies and foreign agents.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations was working alongside the National Employment Authority on 13 investigations involving Kenyan recruitment agencies connected to 19 foreign recruitment agents in Burma.

Despite the decline in prosecutions, Kenya recorded progress in identifying people who had fallen victim to human trafficking.

The government identified 271 confirmed victims during the reporting period, including 260 who had been subjected to forced labour and 11 who experienced sex trafficking.

Authorities also identified 1,021 potential trafficking victims, compared with 195 confirmed victims recorded in the previous reporting period.

Of those identified, 44 were referred to support services, while the government worked with non-governmental organisations to assist 483 victims.

However, financial support for survivors declined, with the government allocating Sh9.27 million from the National Assistance Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking to cater for their direct needs.

This was a reduction from the Sh20 million allocated to the fund in the previous year.

The report warned that support services for adult survivors remained inadequate, with men facing particular difficulties accessing shelters and specialised assistance after escaping trafficking situations.

Officials Under Investigation Over Trafficking Allegations

The report also raised questions about possible involvement of government officials in human trafficking, citing investigations into three Ministry of Labour officials accused of receiving bribes to facilitate the potential trafficking of migrant workers travelling to the Middle East.

It further highlighted allegations of cooperation between criminal networks, recruitment agencies, law enforcement officers and immigration officials in facilitating trafficking activities.

The concerns come against the backdrop of a large number of Kenyans seeking employment abroad, with more than 500,000 estimated to be working in the Middle East.

Domestic workers were identified as particularly vulnerable to exploitation, especially where recruitment arrangements expose them to abusive working conditions.

The report also flagged cases of Kenyans being recruited to participate in the Russia-Ukraine war through fraudulent employment arrangements.

More than 1,000 Kenyan men were reportedly recruited after being promised lucrative jobs, only to find themselves caught up in the conflict.

The assessment warned that overseas employment recruitment continued to expose Kenyans to trafficking, particularly when job seekers were misled about the nature of the work they would perform after travelling abroad.