The Kenyan government has once again warned its citizens not to travel to Myanmar, which is currently embroiled in a protracted conflict that has created an environment conducive to slavery and crime.
The embassy expressed concerns over continued applications despite its caution against travelling to the Asian nation due to rising abductions, job slavery, and torture by criminal cartels.
“The Kenya embassy in Thailand, for the umpteenth time, is warning Kenyans against travelling to Myanmar. The warning comes as dozens of young Kenyans call out for help from Myanmar's notorious scam compounds, while others continue to stream in, and literally becoming slaves of Chinese criminal cartels,” Amb Kimwole said in a statement dated October 12, 2024.
The embassy revealed that 10 Kenyans are currently trapped in the South Asian country as their abductors seek millions in ransom to release them.
The embassy further said saving the entrapped Kenyans had become a trade, with the cartel bosses demanding that they be reimbursed US $12,000 for each Kenyan, because “they bought them as slaves,” for that amount.
“Upon being asked to free the Kenyans, the cartel bosses claim that they bought them as their slaves for 45,000 RMB (Sh820,420) per slave and if the government wants them to be released then their money amounting to around USD12,000 (Sh1.5 million) should be refunded.”
Sources said some intermediaries, an NGO in Thailand and another in Kenya, were helping negotiations with a UN agency to help rescue trapped citizens.
The alarm came less than two months after five Kenyans were released from bondage in Myanmar as another stranded Kenyan died in hospital.
According to the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, the Kenyans had gone there against government policy and reportedly had to pay ransom to be freed.
It said the problem has become bigger especially after recruiters tasked other Kenyans to convince compatriots to join them under false promises.
The embassy said it had obtained a list of a further 45 Kenyans working in various fraud rings, some of whom had escaped and others who had been released after paying a ransom.
However, it has also found that dozens of other Kenyans do not want to be rescued and have become part of the cartel networks used to traffic other Kenyans for a fee.
“A Kenyan was recently arrested in Thailand as one of the most notorious traffickers. As a result of the ongoing civil war, most of the trafficking routes have fallen under the control of various insurgent groups, who offer protection to the traffickers for a fee. The insurgents have also become extortionists, demanding a fee from those who want to be smuggled out,” the statement said.
The intricate ruse begins in Nairobi and other cities and towns, where recruitment agencies advertise jobs in Thailand, failing to disclose that it is only a transit country.
Tricked into paying for the connections, the Kenyans who travel find themselves smuggled into heavily guarded compounds across the border in Myanmar, where they are enslaved to work in cryptocurrency scams and other illegal jobs.
The enslavement ecosystem means that failure to meet targets is punished with starvation, deprivation, electrocution and further confinement.
There is also an intra-slavery market where 'lazy or sickly workers are sold to other companies'. The camps are guarded by insurgents willing to make money to fund the ongoing conflicts.
Kenya's role has recently gone beyond just responding to distress calls. The Ministry said it had worked with Thai authorities to rescue 141 Africans, including 108 Kenyans, 19 Ugandans, 11 Ethiopians, a Burundian, a Zimbabwean and a Senegalese.
“We frequently see job advertisements on social media claiming to offer positions in customer care, translation, and IT in Thailand. However, the Kenyan embassy has repeatedly warned that these jobs are fake, created by traffickers,” Roseline Njogu, the Principal Secretary for Diaspora said recently.
“Kenyans must prioritise their security by seeking accurate information. If you have questions about job offers in Thailand, Australia or Poland, our embassy can help verify their legitimacy. We have a dedicated department for this purpose. Please reach out to us before risking your safety.”
Kenya’s embassy also oversees consular services for other East Asian countries, for the regions in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.
Since 2022, the embassy has successfully rescued over 140 Kenyans and other Africans from trafficking situations in Myanmar and Laos, repatriating them back to their home countries.
Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia are placed on Tier 3 by the US State Department, according to its Trafficking in Persons Report 2023, meaning authorities there hardly make an effort to prevent, prosecute or educate the public against human trafficking.
