Ms Purity Cherono, a Kenyan who was trafficked to India and left stranded. She is seeking help.
In July, Ms Purity Cherono was approached by a friend with what seemed like a lucrative opportunity to work abroad.
After years of struggling to make ends meet through casual jobs, she welcomed the idea, hoping it would change her life for the better.
The mother of two from Rongai sub-County in Nakuru, was introduced to what appeared to be a golden opportunity: a high-paying job in India as a masseur, promising financial stability and the ability to provide for her children.
Armed with hope and determination—and having previously worked as a cleaner in Somalia—Ms Cherono left for India, believing she had secured a brighter future. What she did not know was that she was walking straight into the hands of human traffickers.
Upon arrival, she was confronted with a harsh reality. Instead of the promised job, she was coerced into sex work.
“I was so happy when I was told I had an opportunity to travel. But when I arrived, I fell sick and could not work. After recovering, I was moved to another city and shown what I was supposed to do. I was shocked—that was not the agreement we had in Kenya,” she said.
Ms Cherono explained that a woman who received her did an “orientation”, instructing her to find clients online. She refused and her passport was immediately confiscated, leaving her powerless.
“I refused to do the work they wanted me to do. Even in my country, I have never been a commercial sex worker. I came here with dreams of giving my children a better life. I did not travel with any agency,” she said.
Nepalese women arrested during a raid at Nyali Police Station in Mombasa, last year. They were allegedly part of an international human trafficking syndicate. Young girls are now more likely to fall into this trap. File | Nation Media Group
Since then, Ms Cherono has been stranded in India. After her suffering became unbearable, she aired her frustrations online, attracting attention from Kenyans.
She is currently staying in a hotel but has run out of money for rent and basic upkeep, fearing eviction.
“I want to come back home. For now, I have no one to help me. I lost my mother last month. My children are young, and my siblings are still in school and depend on me. I plead with Kenyans to come to my aid. I have not paid rent for days and I don’t have food. I am supposed to go to the Kenyan embassy and police station to write a clearance form, but I don’t have money for transport,” she narrated.
In a video, she revealed that after demanding her passport, she was told to pay Sh500,000, an amount she does not have.
Ms Cherono called on Kenyans, especially women, to be cautious when promised jobs abroad and to conduct due diligence before travelling, warning that many are trafficked into situations they never agreed to.
Her story highlights the grim reality of human trafficking where unsuspecting men and women are lured by false promises of overseas employment, only to be trapped in cycles of exploitation.
On July 30, during the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, Principal Secretary for the State Department for Children’s Services Carren Ageng’o cited a 2022 study by the National Crime Research Centre on human trafficking in Kenya.
The study revealed that children accounted for four out of 10 victims in internal/domestic trafficking and two out of 10 in international trafficking.
Adults most trafficked
Adults were the most trafficked, representing six out of 10 victims domestically, eight out of 10 internationally from Kenya, and nine out of 10 victims trafficked into Kenya from other countries.
The PS noted that victims are primarily exploited for labour and sex. The study found that the most common method of recruitment was through deceptive information on the internet, social media, and networking sites promising job opportunities.
“The push factors for trafficking include poverty, dysfunctional families, unemployment, underemployment, conflicts, and climate change-induced displacements. The perpetrators are unscrupulous recruitment agencies, family members, neighbours and friends,” she said.
In line with the Counter Trafficking in Persons Act, 2010, over 153 Kenyans trafficked to Myanmar to work in scamming compounds have been rescued.
Additionally, more than 700 law enforcement officers, criminal justice personnel, and aviation sector frontline responders have been trained on trafficking issues, and a government-run shelter with a capacity for 20 victims has been established.
Ms Winnie Mutevu, advocacy and partnership development officer at HAART Kenya, noted that in 2019, more than 300,000 Kenyans were trafficked abroad for forced labour.
She said that while earlier victims were primarily low-skilled individuals, traffickers now target educated people to exploit them in business-related schemes.
