Women’s lobby urges state to crack down on rogue job agencies

Mama Kenya Movement chairperson Amina Ridhwani during a press briefing in Mombasa

A women-led advocacy group is calling on the ministries of Labour and Foreign Affairs to immediately shut down unlicensed job recruitment agencies linked to the abuse and exploitation of Kenyans working abroad.

The Mama Kenya Movement issued the urgent appeal following the harrowing case of 21-year-old Emma Dzame from Kilifi County, who recently returned from Lebanon in a traumatised state.

Dzame left Kenya in February 2024 in search of work but was reportedly subjected to extreme psychological abuse, including being forced to care for snakes by her employer.

When she returned to Kenya in July 2025, she was found wandering in the streets of Shimanzi in Mombasa, mimicking snake movements and clearly in a state of mental distress.

With the help of National Government Administrative Officers, the Mama Kenya Movement traced her family in Matano Mane village and facilitated reunion. She is currently receiving counselling and care at a safe house in Mombasa.

Dzame’s ordeal adds to a growing list of Kenyan women reporting abuse in foreign countries.

In May, Amnesty International released a report titled “Locked in, Left Out: The Hidden Lives of Kenyan Domestic Workers in Saudi Arabia”, which revealed widespread abuse and systemic exploitation. More than 70 women interviewed recounted stories of deception, forced confinement, denial of rest days, and discriminatory treatment.

Mama Kenya Movement chairperson Amina Ridhwani said her organisation had received numerous similar complaints and stressed the urgent need for stricter regulation of recruitment agencies.

“Some of our girls leave believing they’re going to work as receptionists or housekeepers, only to be subjected to inhumane treatment,” she said. “Why recruit them for jobs that aren’t in their contracts?”

Ridhwani recounted how Dzame escaped from her abusive situation after being secretly assisted by an elderly woman in the household. She fled with nothing.

In response, the group is now pushing for the creation of a national database to track Kenyans working overseas and hold recruiting agencies accountable.

“We must know where our children are being taken. Some are being treated like animals—herded into camps, awaiting to be ‘auctioned,’” Ridhwani said.

The organisation has pledged to support returnees with counselling, vocational training, and small grants to help them reintegrate into society.

Another member, Jane Adeya, called on the government to immediately close all unregistered agencies, warning that lives were being lost to rogue recruiters.

“We’re losing our daughters to these illegal agents,” she said.

Secretary general Daureen Kipesa urged families not to risk the lives of their children in pursuit of uncertain opportunities abroad.

“Some families are even selling land to fund these journeys. The Labour Cabinet Secretary must visit the grassroots to truly understand the pain our communities are experiencing,” she said.

INSTANT ANALYSIS 

The rising cases of abuse, deception, and forced labour targeting Kenyan women in the Gulf highlight a deep failure in migrant worker protection. Rogue recruitment agencies thrive in a poorly regulated space, sending vulnerable young women into danger under false pretences. The case of Emma Dzame is not isolated—it’s a tragic symptom of a wider crisis. Urgent action is needed: tighter oversight of recruitment agencies, a national tracking database, and support systems for returnees.