Ten petitioners, suing on their own behalf and on behalf of more than 600 other Kenyans, have moved to court seeking urgent intervention to secure their rescue and repatriation from Cambodia before a February 28, 2026 deadline, after which they risk arrest and imprisonment by Cambodian authorities.
In court filings, the group says they were lured out of Kenya by fraudulent recruitment agents who promised legitimate job opportunities in Thailand.
Instead, upon arrival in Southeast Asia, they allege they were transported against their will to Cambodia and handed over to human trafficking syndicates.
“We were informed and falsely led to believe that there were employment opportunities in East Asia,” the petition reads.
According to the documents, the petitioners were confined in a guarded compound surrounded by high perimeter walls and barbed wire, allegedly operated by Chinese nationals and armed security personnel.
They claim their phones, passports and other personal documents were confiscated, leaving them undocumented and wholly dependent on their captors.
The petition describes what it terms “forceful employment with terrible working conditions,” including 16-hour workdays and extreme performance targets. Those who failed to meet quotas were allegedly beaten or electrocuted.
“Several petitioners are victims of stabbings and internal bleeding… their lives are at risk and need immediate medical treatment,” the court papers state.
In a supporting affidavit, petitioner Samuel Esakina details alleged systematic abuse, including physical assault, electrocution, sexual harassment and threats of violence for attempting escape.
The compound was eventually raided by Cambodian police, after which the alleged traffickers fled, leaving the Kenyans stranded.
The petitioners say they are currently staying at a local shelter in Cambodia without stable access to food, shelter or income.
The petitioners have sued the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the Inspector General of Police, the Ministry of Labour, the Directorate of Immigration Services and the Attorney General.
The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has been listed as an interested party.
They allege that despite reaching out to the Kenyan Embassy, they received minimal or no assistance. They further accuse the Principal Secretary for the State Department of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of making misleading statements suggesting that they had refused to return to Kenya — claims they strongly deny.
Through their lawyer, Danstan Omari, the petitioners filed a certificate of urgency seeking conservatory orders to compel the government to take immediate diplomatic and logistical steps to secure their rescue.
“The violations complained of relate to non-derogable rights under Article 25 of the Constitution, including freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment,” the petition states.
The applicants want the court to order the government to urgently verify their identities and locations, establish direct consular contact, guarantee their safety and facilitate their evacuation back to Kenya.
They have also asked the court to compel the respondents to file a status report within 24 hours outlining concrete measures taken toward their protection and repatriation.
“Unless this Honourable Court intervenes urgently… the Applicants risk death, permanent bodily injury and continued violations of their constitutional rights,” the petition warns.
The matter is expected to be mentioned urgently as the February 28 deadline approaches.
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