A US government report has flagged alleged complicity of Kenyan officials in human trafficking.
It detailed how officials, recruitment agents and criminal networks have exploited Kenyans seeking employment abroad.
The 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report: Kenya by the US State Department found that government officials have colluded with human trafficking syndicates, facilitated fraudulent recruitment and exploited Kenyans seeking assistance abroad.
It also passed the verdict that the Kenyan government does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.
“Corruption and official complicity in trafficking crimes remained significant concerns, inhibiting law enforcement action during the year,” the report says.
It further adds that three Ministry of Labour officials were investigated for allegedly accepting bribes to facilitate potential trafficking crimes involving migrant workers traveling to the Middle East.
“Observers alleged criminal syndicates colluded with various law enforcement and immigration departments, including those at border checkpoints and airports, to transport trafficking victims into and within Kenya,” the report said
Quoting civil society filings, the US State Department said corruption was reported in government programmes that prepare Kenyans for work abroad.
At the same time, some government officials were reported to own some rogue recruitment agencies.
“ … more than 10 per cent of Kenyan government officials maintained ownership interests in private employment agencies, including staffing firms that send Kenyan migrant workers to Saudi Arabia, resulting in potential conflicts of interest,” it adds.
Some Kenyan embassy officials in Saudi Arabia were reportedly said to have demanded sex or cash payments from women seeking government assistance to escape abusive employers and return to Kenya.
“The government did not report taking action against recruitment agencies reportedly owned by government employees that were allegedly complicit in facilitating trafficking crimes; lesser charges, such as failing to register a recruitment company, were frequently levied,” it adds.
These findings point to a governance problem that goes beyond the activities of fraudulent recruitment agents into questions about the conduct and effectiveness of individuals and institutions entrusted with regulating labour migration, enforcing the law and protecting citizens abroad.
The findings corroborate other previous reports.
In February, National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung'wah presented findings from a National Intelligence Service briefing to Parliament.
The report exposed what Ichungw’ah described as a network of rogue government officials working with human trafficking syndicates to facilitate the recruitment and movement of Kenyans to Russia.
The intelligence findings implicated officers in the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Immigration Department and National Employment Authority, as well as other security and diplomatic personnel.
The latest US report reinforces these concerns, noting "some Kenyan officials colluded with recruitment agencies and government officials from Russia to facilitate the fraudulent recruitment of more than 1,000 Kenyan men to fight for the Russian military."
It says the men were recruited through fraudulent promises of lucrative security or construction jobs before being coerced into signing contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defence.
Investigations by Journalists for Justice have also provided further details of how the recruitment network operated, including the use of local contacts to facilitate the movement of recruits through airports and evade scrutiny by state agencies.
Kenya has more than 500 licensed recruitment agencies, yet the report identifies persistent weaknesses in their regulation, including proxy ownership, inadequate oversight of online recruitment and continued exploitation of workers through illegal recruitment fees.
The report cites at least 274 deaths of Kenyan migrant workers in Saudi Arabia over five years, including 55 in 2024 alone, mostly affecting domestic workers.
Despite the scale of the concerns, the US assessment says the government reported "minimal law enforcement action against allegedly complicit officials."
The enforcement record presents another challenge flagged by the report.
Kenya prosecuted only14 trafficking cases in 2025, compared with 44 the previous year, while convictions fell from 21 to just six.
And while the government has made efforts to identify victims, repatriate exploited Kenyans and strengthen public awareness, these interventions remain inadequate without action against officials who abuse their positions and recruitment agencies that operate with political or institutional protection, the report finds.
INSTANT ANALYSIS
The US report exposes a deeply entrenched governance failure in Kenya’s labour migration system. Officials entrusted with protecting citizens are allegedly complicit in their exploitation. More damaging is the apparent impunity, with minimal action against implicated officers. The findings threaten Kenya’s international reputation and raise serious questions about institutional accountability, recruitment regulation and the government’s commitment to safeguarding migrant workers.
