From Malaysia to Thailand: Unanswered questions in case of missing Kenyan worker

Amos Kimwetich /COURTESY

When Amos Kimwetich boarded a flight out of Kenya in early October last year, his family believed he was taking the first step toward a better future.

At 22, the young man from Koibatek in Baringo was headed to Malaysia after securing what he had been told was a delivery job.

Processed through a recruitment agency, the opportunity promised steady work and a chance to support his family.

Nearly four months later, his whereabouts, legal status, and safety remain uncertain, leaving his family in fear.

“We are living in agony. Every day we wake up not knowing whether he is safe, whether he is alive, or whether he will ever come back home,” his elder brother, Oscar Kimwetich, says.

According to Oscar, the recruitment was done through an agency allegedly operating from Nakuru county.

However, after Amos departed, troubling details emerged.

“The agency has no clear office, no working phone numbers and no verifiable online presence,” Oscar explains.

Kimwetich left Kenya on October 5 last year, arriving in Malaysia two days later. He and other African recruits were picked up by a company vehicle and taken to the Mercy Summer Suites hotel in Kuala Lumpur, where they stayed from October 7 to 14.

Initially, everything seemed normal. Amos called regularly, reporting that he was settling in. After checking out, the recruits were taken to begin work delivering KFC meals.

However, the job quickly turned distressing. They were required to work seven hours as delivery riders and another seven hours as security guards.

There was no written contract; all instructions were verbal and communicated through WhatsApp. Amos was issued a motorcycle and told he could work “until tired” and leave at will, offering no legal protection.

The situation worsened on October 22, when a Kenyan colleague was involved in a road accident and the delivery company allegedly shut down. Communication with Amos became sporadic, leaving the family anxious.

On October 26, he resurfaced, reporting that he and other recruits had been transported to Thailand by the same company (name withheld for legal reasons).

On December 6, the company asked them to relocate to Cambodia, which Amos and the other African workers refused.

By December 26, the company offered to send those who wished to return home. Amos volunteered along with two other Kenyans and one Ugandan.

However, at the airport, the driver confiscated their passports, claiming he would “certify” them.

They were later informed by authorities that their documents were invalid, and they were immediately arrested. Police confiscated their phones, laptops and personal belongings, holding them under investigation for 12 days. Amos’s only contact with his family since has been a single one-hour call from police custody at the Tak Area Excise Office in Thailand.

The family is now making a public appeal to the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs to urgently intervene.

They are requesting that the Kenyan Mission verify Amos’s status and location, provide consular and legal assistance, facilitate communication, and support efforts to ensure his safe return.

“We are ready to provide any documents or information required. We are not asking for favours, just help to bring our brother home,” Oscar says.