Civil society warns more Kenyans still enslaved in Myanmar

Civil society organisations tackling human trafficking in Kenya have warned that more Kenyans are being trafficked and enslaved in Myanmar.

The Network Against Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants (Nahusom-Kenya) said hundreds of Kenyans and other nationals may still be held in cyber-scam camps operated by criminals.

Addressing a press conference in Nairobi, Nahusom-Kenya representatives called on the government to urgently establish a Special Inquiry Commission to investigate trafficking related to false criminality, including the circumstances surrounding the trafficking of Kenyans to Myanmar and other destinations.

“The numbers are overwhelming but there is no specific number of Kenyans being held in the cyber-scam camps in Myanmar, which are inaccessible even for the government,” said Mutuku Nguli the Chief Executive Officer for Counter-Human Trafficking Trust East Africa, (CHTEA), an affiliate organisation of the network.

“In our discussions with the government, we have hundreds of Kenyans amongst other nationalities who are inside those centers,” said Muli.

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Last week, the government repatriated 153 citizens who had been trafficked to scam compounds in Myanmar, where they were forced to engage in criminal activities.

Diaspora Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu noted that the Kenyans were lured to Myanmar under false pretense of employment and lucrative job offers, only to find themselves subjected to forced labor and exploitation in scam operations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also acknowledged that Kenyans and other foreign nationals are held in fraud centers located in areas controlled by rebel groups fighting the Myanmar government, which makes rescue operations extremely difficult.

Njogu further explained that Kenyans are among hundreds of foreigners trafficked to Myanmar in 2024 and coerced into committing various online crimes, including fraud, identity theft, phishing, romance scams, and cryptocurrency scams.

“Traffickers are no longer just exploiting individuals for forced labor, sexual exploitation or domestic servitude, but are now coercing victims into engaging in illegal activities under duress,” said Edith Morongo, executive director, Center for Domestic Training and Development.

Additionally, the organisations highlighted the persistent exploitation and deaths of Kenyan domestic workers in Gulf countries, describing this as a critical challenge to Kenya’s national security, global cyber safety, and the fundamental rights of its citizens.

Nahusom also raised concern over the emerging trends of human trafficking through cyberspace.

“The cyber-crime aspect is spreading a little further than just Myanmar. We have some life cases in the same cyber-crime context actually in places you may not imagine, like Dubai. And they are run by the same criminal networks that are also in Myanmar,” said Muli.

He emphasized that the rapid growth of online job scams by unscrupulous agents is an increasing threat for human trafficking.

Muli said that sustained awareness campaigns could help educate Kenyans seeking jobs abroad to be more cautious when dealing with recruiting agencies, especially those that target jobless individuals in rural areas.

Matthews Onyango, the programmes coordinator at the Center for Domestic Training and Development, cited the gap in tracking the numbers of trafficked victims, especially returnees.

“We miss out at the point of return, which is at the airport. We are foreseeing such a time when immediately at the point of return, these returnees can be documented and they can be taken care of instantly at the airport,” said Onyango.

The organisations also called for better training of border control officers to help identify potential trafficking victims being sent from Kenya to other countries.

The group also urged the government to implement preventive and protective measures against trafficking for false criminality.

They called for the accountability of institutions, groups, individuals, and recruitment agencies involved in human trafficking and other forms of modern-day slavery, as highlighted by the inquiry.

“The inquiry commission will also help to enhance the protection of migrant workers' labour rights and strengthen reintegration support for survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery,” said Morogo.

To strengthen this initiative and further support collaborative efforts, Nahusom proposed nominating counter-trafficking experts to join the Inquiry Commission, assisting with investigations, deliberations, and other related functions.

For effective reintegration of returnees, Muli urged the government to increase the budgetary allocation to the National Assistance Trust Fund, which supports trafficking victims.

 “We are expecting that that fund should grow bigger so that at least better support and comprehensive support to victims and survivors become a reality. The amounts that are given to survivors in respect of that fund are small,” he said.