Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has warned that some Kenyans rescued from human trafficking networks in Southeast Asia may now pose a domestic security threat.

Mudavadi said the government is increasingly concerned that some of the victims, who received cybercrime training while trapped in online scam compounds, could use those skills to establish fraudulent operations in Kenya.

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“A major concern is that rescued individuals now trained in cybercrime pose a national risk by potentially establishing scam operations in Kenya upon their return,” Mudavadi said in Nairobi on Wednesday.

He spoke during the quarterly briefing on foreign affairs on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, where he described the trafficking of Kenyans to Southeast Asia as a sophisticated menace.

He said hundreds of citizens continue to fall prey to false job advertisements that lure them into forced labour, cyber scams, and other illegal activities in countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar.

Kenya’s embassy in Bangkok, which also covers neighbouring countries, has rescued and repatriated about 500 victims since July 2022. Another 126 Kenyans are awaiting repatriation – 69 in Thailand and 57 in Myanmar – while others are believed to be held by militia groups.

Some victims join criminal networks

Mudavadi cited a recent case involving a Kenyan man arrested in Thailand for using a fake immigration stamp. The man had been rescued earlier in March 2025 but later returned illegally to work for a Chinese-owned scam company in Myanmar.

“This shows that some of the victims are not innocent but have become part of the criminal network,” Mudavadi said.

He added that the risk extends beyond individual behaviour, warning that returnees with cyber skills could be exploited by organised criminal groups within Kenya.

Mudavadi outlined several government recommendations, including a nationwide awareness campaign to educate the public about deceptive foreign job offers, stronger legal frameworks to prosecute traffickers, and better support for reintegrating victims.

“The Kenyan mission in Bangkok has been instrumental in providing timely advisories and labour information to prevent such cases,” he said.

The government is also expanding its diplomatic presence in Southeast Asia, with plans to open a new embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam, to strengthen monitoring and protection of Kenyans working in the region.

Mudavadi urged job seekers to verify overseas opportunities through official channels to avoid falling into trafficking networks disguised as legitimate employment offers.