The United States Department of State’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report lists Kenya as a Tier 2 country, noting serious shortcomings in prosecuting traffickers and protecting victims.

More than half a million Kenyan nationals are estimated to be employed in the Middle East, predominantly as domestic workers, under a visa‑sponsorship system that ties them to a single employer and restricts movement.

The report documents cases where Kenyan women recruited to Saudi Arabia sign contracts in languages they cannot read, subsequently suffering severe physical and emotional abuse, with at least 274 migrant deaths recorded over five years, including 55 in 2024 alone.

In India, traffickers lure Kenyan women with false promises of hotel, salon or restaurant jobs, confiscate their passports on arrival and force them into commercial sex to repay fabricated debts.

Southeast Asian recruiters use social media and fake job ads to attract Kenyan graduates and other youths aged 18 to 38, promising tech, hospitality or education roles, then transport victims to Burma, Malaysia or Laos for forced labour in online scam operations or sexual exploitation.

Kenyan authorities have taken steps such as identifying more victims, partnering with NGOs and repatriating citizens trapped in scam operations, and securing the first civil judgment against a fraudulent recruiter with compensation for a victim.

Despite these measures, the report says Kenya still falls short of minimum standards, with fewer trafficker prosecutions and convictions than in the previous reporting period, and raises concerns about official complicity hampering law‑enforcement efforts.

Returning migrants often face community rejection due to unmet remittance expectations or debt, increasing their vulnerability to re‑trafficking, while people experiencing homelessness or mental health challenges are identified as high‑risk groups.