By Faith Mwende
The State Department for Diaspora Affairs has appealed to the public for any information that could help trace a Kenyan woman reportedly trapped abroad after falling victim to a fake job offer.
Responding to a report by Uzalendo News about the woman’s plea for rescue, the department urged anyone with contacts or leads on her whereabouts to come forward.
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. If you have contacts where she can be reached, kindly share or ask her to share more details in our inbox or through our contacts +254114757002,” the department said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
The woman is said to have been lured to Asia with the promise of employment, only to end up in a suspected human trafficking situation.
In a message shared online, the unidentified woman says she was taken to Vietnam and later Cambodia, where she is currently being held in what she describes as a “scam compound.”
“I was lured to a job in China which turned out to be a scam. I was trafficked to Vietnam then Cambodia. I ended up trapped in one of those scam compounds you may have heard about,” her message reads.
According to her account, she and several others, including other Kenyans, are subjected to inhumane conditions, constant monitoring, physical abuse, and forced labor without pay. “We live under constant threats, racism, beatings, and electrocution. We’re forced to work in silence, controlled 24/7, and often denied our pay,” she wrote.
The woman says every attempt to escape has resulted in being resold to another group, worsening her situation. “I have seen people disappear and others get killed. Now I’m fearing for my life and my other Kenyan friend here,” she added.
In her plea, she appealed for help from Kenyans and international organizations to raise awareness and assist her and others trapped in similar conditions to return home safely.
“I just want freedom. I want to start over, breathe fresh air again, and one day use my voice to protect others from going through this nightmare,” she said.
Dozens of Kenyans are falling victim to human trafficking syndicates that lure them to Southeast Asia with false promises of lucrative jobs.
Victims are enticed through online ads offering positions in customer care, cryptocurrency, or teaching, only to end up in “cyberslavery” compounds in Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos.
After paying hefty recruitment fees, many have their passports confiscated on arrival and are smuggled across borders to work for scam operations.
Survivors report being tortured, starved, or beaten for failing to meet daily online fraud targets. Others are coerced into sex work or manual labor.
Officials are urging citizens to verify overseas job offers through the National Employment Authority and the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs and to avoid paying large upfront fees to recruiters.
