Government evacuates 5,232 distressed Kenyans from 19 countries amid exploitation concerns

The government has evacuated 5,232 distressed Kenyans from 19 countries under the Diaspora Distress Repatriation Programme, launched to shield migrant workers from exploitation and offer emergency support abroad.

The State Department for Diaspora Affairs said the move comes amid rising concerns over fraud, abuse and unsafe working conditions, even as Kenya continues to expand its overseas labour market with 400,000 placements recorded so far.

The revelations emerged on Thursday after Members of the National Assembly's Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations visited the State Department for Diaspora Affairs. During their visit, the MPs called for stronger coordination, better data transparency and policy reforms in the country’s labour migration initiatives.

Committee chairperson Nelson Koech lauded the department’s achievements but raised concerns over overlapping mandates between the newly formed Diaspora Placement Agency and the Ministry of Labour.

“We recognise the work you do. But what is the correlation between the Diaspora Placement Agency and the Ministry of Labour?” he posed.

Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Roslyne Njogu clarified that while the Ministry of Labour shares some responsibilities, the Diaspora Placement Agency, established under Executive Order No. 1 of 2025, operates independently to connect Kenyans with global job opportunities.

According to Njogu, the department has facilitated the hiring of 400,000 Kenyans abroad as of June 2025 and signed five bilateral labour agreements in the past two years.

However, committee members pressed for a detailed breakdown of the placements.

“You say you’ve facilitated 400,000 Kenyans, but what are the statistics per county? Why can’t you put faces to these numbers? Where are the details per county?” Mandera Central MP Abdulkadir Mohammed posed.

Concerns also emerged about the growing number of rogue employment agencies and misinformation targeting job seekers.

“What are the policy and legislative gaps in dealing with rogue agencies? We need to deal firmly with those spreading misinformation to our people,” Gilgil MP Martha Wangari said.

In response, PS Njogu said the department is partnering with National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs) to conduct awareness campaigns at the grassroots level.

“We have about 10 million Kenyans who are jobless. The 400,000 is just a drop in the bucket,” she noted.

“But we are committed to changing the narrative of the Kazi Majuu programme and are working with NGAOs to educate Kenyans on their rights.”

She confirmed that the government had successfully evacuated 5,232 Kenyans facing distress in 19 countries, under the Diaspora Distress Repatriation Programme.

The committee also learned that the State Department is developing a framework to lower the cost of remittances to under three per cent, aligning with international targets, and is promoting diaspora philanthropy and investment.

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• Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu
• Government evacuates 5
• 232 distressed Kenyans from 19 countries amid exploitation concerns

Vice Chair Bashir Abdullahi urged the department to go beyond overseas job placement and focus on leveraging remittances for local development.

“Beyond getting people jobs abroad, you should boost investor confidence and bring diaspora remittances home to create jobs locally,” he said.

PS Njogu said the department has held webinars to guide Kenyans in the diaspora on investing in the Nairobi Stock Exchange and Treasury bonds, and is preparing to roll out a Diaspora Infrastructure Bond.

She outlined two specialised agencies established under the Executive Order: the Diaspora Investment Support Office, designed as a one-stop centre to boost direct investment and bridge trust deficits and the Diaspora Placement Agency, which focuses on placing workers abroad under decent conditions.

Njogu committed to providing a county-by-county breakdown of the overseas job placements and revealed that just a day earlier, the department had facilitated the deployment of 26 nurses to the United States.

She also disclosed plans to set up diaspora centres, with land already allocated in Australia for the first such facility.

The committee pledged its support through legislation and funding to strengthen the department’s mandate and close existing policy gaps.