CaSome 64 Kenyans are holed up in Thai-Myanmar border after being rescued from scam compounds in Myanmar. The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs said the Kenyans were waiting at the Thai-Myanmar border, ready to cross into Thailand. 

“The Kenyan Ambassador in Thailand has remained in touch, on a daily basis, with the Kenyans to apprise them of efforts by the government to bring them home safely,” the Ministry said in a statement made available to the People Daily.

Onward repatriation

The 64 Kenyans are in a group of over 7,000 other foreigners rescued by two armed groups-the DKBA and the Border Guard Force (BGF) – and they are yet to cross the border to Thailand for onward repatriation to their home countries.

This is because Thai authorities have not reopened the border crossing since February 12 when the first wave of 260 foreigners, including 23 Kenyans were handed over to the Royal Thai Army by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA).

The Kenyan Government said it was in consultation with its Thai counterpart to have the border crossing re-opened on humanitarian grounds to allow the rescued nationals’ entry into Thai territory and repatriation to Kenya.

The situation in the makeshift military camps in Karen State where the rescued nationals are being held, remains dire with lack of access to medical facilities, clean water, electricity and sanitation, the ministry added.

The more than 7,000 victims, of over 30 nationalities, come from as far as South America.

The ministry further said the Government was exploring other alternative routes to bring Kenyans home.

Logical arrangement

The State Department for Diaspora Affairs that is leading a multi-agency team, and working in conjunction with the Kenyan Embassy in Bangkok and HAART Kenya, has finalized logistical arrangements to return the Kenyans home to be reunited with their families.

“The Government of Kenya continues to make all necessary efforts to extract its nationals from difficult circumstances and situations; these efforts have been witnessed in Libya, South Sudan, Sudan, Lebanon, Myanmar, Israel and other parts of the world in line with its fundamental duty to protect the rights and welfare of Kenyans wherever they are,” the ministry added.

The statement went on: “At the same time, the Government of Kenya continues to advise its citizens to verify the legitimacy of jobs advertised online by checking with the State Department for Diaspora Affairs.”

“Additionally, the Government reminds Kenyans to exclusively use private recruitment agencies that are registered and licensed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection.”

Last week, a parliamentary committee heard that 44 Kenyans were stranded in Myanmar and Thailand due to budget cuts by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection.

Appearing before the Social Protection Committee on the 2025 Budget Policy Statement (BPS), Principal Secretary Joseph Motari said that the 44 Kenyans had reported to the Kenyan Embassy in Thailand and were ready to return home.

The PS told the committee chaired by Thika Town MP Alice Ng’ang’a that the budget cuts in the 2025 BPS now threaten to stall the process of bringing the Kenyans home.

The PS said to implement the Kenya Anti Trafficking in Persons (ACT), within and outside Kenya, Sh80 million was needed by in the 2025/2026 financial year as contained in the BPS, only Sh20 million had been allocated.

Last year, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi told the Senate the government had set aside Sh100 million to evacuate Kenyans who wanted to return home.

Mudavadi said there were 26,000 Kenyans in the Middle Eastern country with 7119 having registered for evacuation.

Last week, authorities in Myanmar rescued 46 Kenyans from human trafficking networks where they were being held by a suspected Chinese cartel scamming people online.

The rescue came just days after 24 others were rescued in a similar mission the previous week from a batch of 264 foreigners released following months of negotiations.

Earlier, a government statement said dozens of Kenyans and other East Africans had been lured to Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia ostensibly to work as English language teachers, but ended up as overworked, underpaid labourers.

The problem has grown, especially after recruiters hired other Kenyans to persuade compatriots to join them on false promises. Kenyans are duped on fake job advertisements in Thailand, especially in customer care, front office, cryptocurrency and teaching, only to arrive in Thailand and find there are no such jobs. By Lucas Barasa, People Daily