Kenya’s growing human trafficking crisis

In 2025, Kenya continued to sit at the center of multiple human trafficking routes, operating both within the country and across its borders. Trafficking networks recruit, move, and exploit people through Kenya, making the country a source, transit point, and destination for human trafficking.

While trafficking in Kenya takes many forms, officials increasingly point to forced criminality and conflict-related recruitment as among the most urgent and fast-growing threats. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) links the persistence of these crimes to youth unemployment, fragile regional governance, and gaps in law enforcement and border management.

Forced criminality expands beyond traditional exploitation

Throughout the year, transnational trafficking and smuggling syndicates remained active, exploiting economic vulnerability and  weak enforcement. Authorities say the scale and diversity of trafficking now pose a growing threat to both human rights and national security.

Additionally, trafficking in Kenya has expanded beyond forced criminality in forced labor and sexual exploitation. Officials report rising cases linked to online scamming, illegal cryptocurrency trading, money laundering, modern slavery, and human organ harvesting.

Traffickers also exploit the movement of refugees, asylum seekers, and undocumented migrants to maintain their operations. Victims include Kenyans as well as people from across East and Central Africa, highlighting Kenya’s role as a regional trafficking hub.

Forced into cyber crime

One of the clearest manifestations of forced criminality involves trafficking victims into online scam compounds across Southeast Asia. Since July 2022, the Kenyan Embassy in Bangkok has rescued and repatriated about 500 Kenyan victims trafficked to countries including Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Officials say additional victims remain trapped in militia-controlled areas. Reported by Eastleigh Voice, MoFA said:

Approximately 400 Kenyans have been lured by unscrupulous agents with promises of lucrative job opportunities in the Far East, including in countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar, only to end up working in conditions akin to modern slavery. The human trafficking situation in Southeast Asia, particularly for Kenyans, has become a significant and alarming concern, largely driven by the rise of forced criminality in online scam compounds,

These operations force victims to carry out crimes such as romance scams, voice phishing, investment fraud, and cryptocurrency scams, targeting people around the world.

Trafficked into armed conflict

Trafficking linked to armed conflict is also emerging as a serious concern. Kenyan authorities report that traffickers have recruited civilians to fight in Russia since the war with Ukraine began in 2022. In September 2025, a multi-agency raid in Athi River found 21 Kenyans awaiting deployment to the war zone after signing contracts with agents who promised payments of up to $18,000 to cover travel and logistics. MoFA reports:

Unfortunately, those who have been rescued have said they were misled about the nature of the work they were to do, including assembling drones, handling chemicals, and painting works without proper training or protective gear…

MoFA estimates that more than 200 Kenyans may have joined the Russian military, including former members of Kenya’s disciplined services. Moreover, the recruitment networks remain active in both Kenya and Russia.

State responses and persistent failures

The government points to bilateral labor agreements that have helped place more than 430,000 Kenyans abroad since 2023, alongside access to digital jobs. Yet, unemployment remains high, leaving Kenyans vulnerable to unscrupulous local and foreign job recruiters.

At the same time, oversight failures undermine enforcement efforts. The US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report found that some government officials held ownership stakes in private employment agencies sending workers to Saudi Arabia, creating conflicts of interest. Police officers and judicial officials also allegedly accepted bribes to warn traffickers of investigations or pressure witnesses to give false testimony.

The report says:

Observers alleged criminal syndicates colluded with various law enforcement and immigration departments, including those at border checkpoints and airports, to transport trafficking victims into and within Kenya. Traffickers continued to easily obtain fraudulent identity documents used to facilitate trafficking crimes from complicit officials,

While Kenya has made progress in investigating and prosecuting trafficking cases, the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report also found that the country does not fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking, citing serious gaps in adult victim protection.

Despite ongoing reforms and international cooperation, officials acknowledge that low public awareness, porous borders, and official complicity continue to expose vulnerable people to exploitation. Together, these failures leave Kenya deeply entangled in a global system of modern slavery—one that adapts faster than the protections meant to stop it.