'Life there was hell,' Myanmar returnees regret trip

Kenyans who on Saturday returned from Myanmar have described their life in detention camp as hell.

Weak, traumatised and disappointed, the returnees arrived wearing masks to shield their identities from glaring cameras.

They had been working in telecom scam centres after falling victim to human trafficking. Lured by promises of well-paying jobs in Thailand, they were instead taken to neighbouring Myanmar.

Myanmar has been in conflict since October 2023, with a civil war that has triggered a deepening humanitarian crisis.

John Kiarie and Dan Karani were among the second group of 31 who landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in the afternoon aboard Ethiopian Airlines. An earlier group of 41 had arrived in the morning aboard Kenya Airways (KQ).

Many of the returnees were unwilling to speak on camera, still coming to terms with their ordeal and the loss of their hard-earned money.

Even so, they expressed gratitude to be back home at last—thanks to the government’s intervention.For Kiarie, a trained chef, the journey to Myanmar began with the promise of a job in his field. But upon arrival, the reality was far different.

“At first, you’re promised a good job, but when you get there, it’s not what you were told. I didn’t follow the right procedure. If I had known what was waiting for me, I would never have gone. I ended up doing scamming work,” he said.

He added, “We’ve suffered emotionally, physically, and financially. I thank Principal Secretary for Diaspora Affairs, Roseline Njogu, who received us at the airport, for the great work she’s done to bring us home.”

He said some had to sell their properties and left the jobs they were doing with hope that they will get well-paying jobs.

“When I arrived there, I was told I have to do this job or else you pay us our money which was about Sh700,000, so I was working under pressure yet I was not paid any salary for the three months I was there yet there were fines and penalties”.

Kiarie said some were beaten, forced to sit on sun for long yet the weather there is bad only suitable for the locals skin.

He said the highest amount in salary for scamming in real estate using crypto one would earn was 30,000 Bhat, the Thai currency but for him, the highest he got was 13,000 Bhat.

“I feel so bad that I scammed people including some aged 75 to 80 years in hospitals,” he said.

Karani went there as an English teacher, hoping to work as a tutor but reality dawned on him when he arrived at Thailand airport.“I had no money to apply for a working visa and therefore, went there using a tourist visa after passing here at JKIA,” said Karani. He went to Thailand in October last year after paying Sh200,000 for the whole process.

“He added: “When I arrived at the airport, I was picked by a big car like a V8 , a car that I have never been carried into since I was born. I knew that I have reached the Canaan (promised land) but what I have passed through in the past four months is not easy.”

Karani added: “I want to tell Kenyans who want to go using backdoor routes that there are no jobs and salary in Myanmar, do that little job you have even if it is washing toilets.”He said as they were coming, his possessions including phone, laptop were taken away and his family even does know whether he has returned.

PS Njogu warned Kenyans against being lured by non-existent jobs and using back door means to travel abroad for the hope of work.

“I urge Kenyans to only use registered agents by National Employment Authority (NEA), authenticate job offers using [email protected] or telephone 0114757002 and Kenyan embassy in Bangok in any job promised in Thailand including also if they are stuck somewhere between Thailand and Myanmar and we will send you help,” she said.

She said it's unfortunate that many Kenyans are finding themselves in such situations after using tourist or visitors visas and rogue recruitment and tour agents, thus hard for the government to track them.

“The other loophole is where Kenyans travel to Thailand after travelling to like Ethiopia and proceed to Thailand,” she said. The PS said between December 2022 and December 2024, the governed has rescued 150 Kenyans from the ‘Golden Triangle’ region of East Asia. Over the past one month, over 7,000 victims from different nationalities were rescued in the place by Thai military operation.

The PS also said the 78 will undergo debriefing and psychological support by HAART Kenya.Njogu said investigations are going on to reign in on rogue agents but efforts are being weakened by victims who are not willing to come out to give information on the agents.