44 Kenyans stuck in Myanmar and Thailand as state lacks funds to bring them home
Many of those stranded were lured with promises of jobs that never materialised.
Dozens of Kenyans remain stuck in Myanmar and Thailand as government funding shortfalls hinder their repatriation.
Principal Secretary for Labour and Social Protection Joseph Motari told the National Assembly that 44 Kenyans had sought help from the Kenyan Embassy in Thailand, but bringing them home remains a challenge due to budget cuts.
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Appearing before the National Assembly Social Protection Committee on the 2025 Budget Policy Statement (BPS), Motari explained that the ministry's efforts to rescue stranded Kenyans have been severely affected.
"We are told that there are still Kenyans in Myanmar languishing there without jobs. We are working closely with the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs to bring them back home," he said.
According to the PS, the ministry needs Sh80 million to implement the Kenya Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act and support repatriation efforts.
However, the 2025-2026 financial year budget has allocated only Sh20 million, leaving a deficit of Sh60 million.
"This leaves us with a shortfall of Sh60 million, and you know this is the money we use for things like bringing home Kenyans stuck outside the country," Motari told the committee.
Promises of jobs
Many of those stranded were lured with promises of jobs that never materialised.
"We are told by those who have returned that there are still many Kenyans there without the jobs they were promised. We are using this money to bring home Kenyans lured by false job offers," Motari said.
Last year, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi informed the Senate that the government had allocated Sh100 million to evacuate Kenyans wishing to return home.
At the time, an estimated 26,000 Kenyans were in the Middle East, with 7,119 registering for evacuation.
In August, the government announced that 75 victims of human trafficking had been repatriated, including 10 Ugandans and one Burundian.
Many of those rescued reported being subjected to long hours of unpaid labour. Most victims of trafficking were women under 35.
With limited funds, the fate of the remaining 44 Kenyans in Myanmar and Thailand now hangs in the balance as the government struggles to secure the necessary resources for their return.
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