The last group of 78 Kenyans who had been stuck in scam compounds in Myanmar and Thailand has landed in the country.
Officials said 31 more Kenyans arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Saturday afternoon, adding to the 47 who had landed earlier, marking the complete repatriation of all the Kenyans who had been stranded abroad.
The last team of 31 Kenyans came through Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and was received by the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Diaspora Affairs, Roseline Njogu, at JKIA.
Njogu warned Kenyans against travelling to Thailand on Tourist visa with promises of jobs in the Asian Country.
Njogu said a number of unsuspecting Kenyans had been lured and trapped in the region after being lied to by smugglers.
She was speaking at JKIA on Saturday April 5 2025 when she accompanied security officers and other stakeholders to received the 78 victims of human trafficking who arrived from Thailand
The number brings to 156 Kenyans rescued from Myanmar.
The victims were rescued from Mynamar Chinese scamming camps by Thailand authorities and placed in detention camps before repatriation back to Kenya.
Officials from Ministry of Labour (CTIP) and HAART Kenya conducted screening and counselling while DCI officers from the Transnational Organised Crime Unit interviewed and recorded statements, for further arrests of traffickers and facilitators.
Kenya has in the recent past witnessed a rise in cases of Kenyans being trafficked to Myanmar through Thailand.
The traffickers trick the victims with job offers in Thailand and suspiciously acquire them Tourist visas instead on Work Visas. On arrival in Thailand, the victims are trafficked to Myanmar where they engage in scamming in deplorable conditions.
The PS has asked Kenyans to use reputable recruitment agencies and report any suspicious activities for government intervention.
The Kenyans were deceived by fake agents who promised them lucrative jobs in Thailand, only for them to discover they were victims of human trafficking and sold into forced labor.
The Kenyans were trapped in forced labor camps run by criminal syndicates.
The victims were forced to work in online fraud centers where they were coerced into scamming, identity theft, phishing, and cryptocurrency fraud activities.
Those who refused to work as directed were subjected to harsh conditions, physical abuse, and torture.
These Kenyans are part of a larger group of over 7,000 foreigners freed by armed groups but unable to cross into Thailand since February 12. Negotiations between Kenya and the Thai government led to the reopening of the border on humanitarian grounds, allowing the rescued nationals to enter Thai territory and be repatriated to Kenya.
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