Kenya has repatriated hundreds of Kenyans from illegal jobs abroad

Over 751 Kenyans have been rescued, with 615 having been repatriated, and 39 jailed in Myanmar for illegal entry and cybercrime offences in the last four years.

Speaking while responding to the Senate Standing Committee on Labour Migration, Recruitment and Workers Protection, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs noted that about 97 people who crossed from Myanmar to Thailand are in the Immigration Detention Centre in Thailand awaiting deportation upon provision of air tickets by their families.

In Cambodia, Mudavadi said that from January to April 2026 alone, 406 Kenyans have been rescued.

305 have successfully been repatriated, while the remaining continue being facilitated for repatriation, and another 29 Kenyans in Loas have been repatriated to date.

Another 97 Kenyans, he said, are in the Immigration Detention Centre in Thailand, while 14 of have been imprisoned for bearing forged immigration stamps obtained at border points by their traffickers.

“Kenyan women are trafficked to India for sexual exploitation under the guise of legitimate jobs in the hospitality or beauty industry. 265 Kenyan victims of human trafficking have to date been rescued and repatriated from India,” said Mudavadi.

On the irregular military recruitment in Russian, PCS said the Ministry has documented 291 reported cases of Kenyans who enlisted in the Russian special forces, 53 of them have successfully been repatriated.

Meanwhile, PCS said the government had deregistered over 600 rogue recruitment agencies across the country as part of taming the rampant vice of Kenyans being taken out of the country for illegitimate jobs.

“Beyond that, there were 87 individuals currently in court for illegally recruiting people for Diaspora jobs when they were not registered,” he said.

Mudavadi said these were part of firm and decisive steps the government is taking to ensure that it cracks down on rogue persons recruiting Kenyans, among other things, to scam jobs abroad.