As Kenya reels from the just-concluded Labour Day celebrations, a time meant to honor workers’ contributions, the stark reality is that thousands of its citizens are trapped in a nightmare abroad.

With unemployment rates at 5.7 percent in 2024, per the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, and youth unemployment far higher, the promise of well-paying foreign jobs is a powerful lure. Yet, this pursuit has become a tragedy for many ensnared by human trafficking syndicates posing as legitimate recruitment agencies.

The Kenyan government’s inaction is not just a policy failure—it is a betrayal of its people. Decisive, uncompromising action is needed to end the ordeal of Kenyans trapped in foreign jobs scams.

The crisis is vast. In 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported over 3,000 Kenyans stranded in Gulf countries, mainly Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, after being deceived by promises of lucrative jobs. These victims, often young and desperate, pay exorbitant fees—up to Sh 200,000 ($1,500)—to agencies promising work as domestic workers, drivers, or laborers.

Instead, they face exploitation, abuse, and abandonment. Passports are seized, wages withheld, and many endure physical and psychological torment. Some never return, their fates lost to unmarked graves or the shadows of modern slavery.

The stories are harrowing. Consider a 24-year-old from Nakuru who paid Sh150,000 to a Nairobi-based agency for a housemaid job in Dubai. She arrived to face 18-hour workdays without pay, verbal abuse, and confinement in her employer’s home.

Her pleas to the Kenyan embassy went unanswered for months. She escaped with NGO help, but others are less fortunate. A construction worker in Qatar died in 2024 under mysterious circumstances, with no explanation from his employer or agency.

These are not isolated cases but signs of systemic failure. The government has long known about these scams, yet its response is inadequate. The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, responsible for regulating recruitment agencies, fails to enforce laws or curb rogue operators.

A 2022 International Organization for Migration report flagged over 600 unregistered agencies in Kenya, many advertising openly on platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp. These agencies exploit regulatory gaps, using fake contracts and forged documents to deceive job seekers. The vetting process for licensed agencies is riddled with corruption, allowing unscrupulous firms to thrive.

Bilateral Labour Agreements (BLAs) with Gulf countries, meant to protect workers, are ineffective. The 2020 agreement with Saudi Arabia promised safe conditions and fair wages, but enforcement is absent.

Kenyan embassies in these countries are understaffed and underfunded, leaving stranded workers without aid. The National Employment Authority (NEA), tasked with overseeing labour migration, lacks resources and will to monitor agencies or repatriate victims. This inertia is unacceptable. The government cannot claim ignorance when its citizens’ cries echo from Doha to Riyadh.

The argument that labor migration boosts remittances is hollow. While remittances hit $4.8 billion in 2024, per the Central Bank of Kenya, this masks the human cost.

Exploitation undermines the dignity the government must protect. Fees paid to rogue agencies drain family savings, deepening poverty when job promises vanish. Failure to regulate this sector fuels trafficking and destabilizes communities.

To end this crisis, the government must act urgently. First, it must overhaul agency regulation. The NEA should audit all agencies, licensed or not, and impose harsh penalties—fines, jail terms, and bans—on guilty parties.

A public, online database of verified agencies would empower job seekers. Social media platforms must face accountability for hosting ads by unregistered agencies, with the Communications Authority of Kenya enforcing strict rules.

Second, diplomatic presence in Gulf countries needs strengthening. Embassies should have labour attachés trained to handle exploitation cases, with hotlines and emergency funds for stranded workers.

BLAs need enforceable mechanisms for monitoring employers, ensuring wages, and repatriating victims. Kenya should suspend labor exports to non-compliant countries, signaling that its citizens’ lives are non-negotiable.

Third, public awareness is vital. Many victims fall for misinformation, unaware of risks. The government, with NGOs, should launch nationwide campaigns—on radio, TV, and social media—educating Kenyans about safe migration and scam warning signs. Schools and community centers can disseminate this in rural areas, where desperation fuels vulnerability.

Finally, unemployment must be tackled. Investing in local job creation—via vocational training, small business grants, and industrial growth—would reduce desperation driving Kenyans to traffickers.

The Kenya Vision 2030 plan, emphasizing economic growth, must prioritize youth, who form 75 percent of the population. A thriving economy is the best defense against exploitation abroad.

The government cannot ignore its people’s suffering. Every Kenyan trapped in a scam is a stain on the nation’s conscience, a reminder of a government failing its duty.

— The writer is a communication consultant