Hundreds of Kenyans have been rescued from forced labour operations in Southeast Asia, as international authorities intensify efforts to dismantle criminal organisations behind online scam centres.
The trafficking networks reportedly lure unsuspecting jobseekers with promises of lucrative overseas employment before transporting them to countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, where they are forced to participate in online fraud schemes.
According to Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, more than 751 Kenyans had been rescued from Myanmar alone between 2022 and May 2026, highlighting the scale of the human trafficking crisis.
The figures were presented by Mudavadi while responding to the Senate Standing Committee on Labour Migration, Recruitment and Workers Protection in May 2026.
The latest international action came on November 5, 2026, when the United States Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against four individuals and 41 entities linked to the Prince Group Transnational Criminal Organisation.
The US Treasury said the targeted individuals and companies had helped sustain the group’s operations by managing offshore corporate structures, concealing ownership and providing financial and administrative services to its leadership.
The organisation has previously been accused of involvement in cyber-enabled fraud, money laundering and human trafficking.
The sanctions are part of broader international efforts to dismantle the financial and business networks supporting scam centres, which have become major hubs for forced labour and cybercrime in Southeast Asia.
In a separate move on July 30, 2026, the European Union sanctioned seven individuals and three entities linked to scam centres in the region.
Among those targeted were Cambodia-based Prince Holding Group, its chairman Chen Zhi, Jin Bei Group and the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), which the EU accused of facilitating scam operations in Myanmar.
The restrictions include freezing assets and prohibiting individuals and companies within the EU from making funds available to the sanctioned parties.
The trafficking crisis has also extended beyond Myanmar.
Mudavadi told Parliament that 406 Kenyans were rescued from Cambodia between January and April 2026, with 305 successfully repatriated.
Another 29 Kenyans had been repatriated from Laos, while 97 others who crossed from Myanmar into Thailand were awaiting deportation at immigration detention facilities.
Victims are commonly recruited through social media advertisements, WhatsApp, Telegram and unregistered recruitment agencies promising well-paying jobs in technology, customer service, cryptocurrency trading and hospitality.
Upon arrival, some have their travel documents confiscated, are confined in guarded compounds and subjected to physical abuse, threats and intimidation if they refuse to participate in online fraud.
The international crackdown is aimed at cutting off the criminal networks’ financial support and holding those responsible for trafficking and exploiting vulnerable jobseekers accountable.
