30 Jun 2020

Human trafficking / The new slavery: Kenyan workers in the Middle East

Kenya still does not have a foreign employment policy that oversees labour exportation.


The rise of modern-day slavery in East Africa
©ENACT/Institute for Security Studies

In September 2014 Kenya banned the exportation of labour to the Middle East because workers were being trafficked by criminal networks offering them jobs. This policy brief focuses on the criminals who continue to drive this market and examines attempts by the government and other stakeholders to outlaw the practice. While the measures in place are commendable, they are inadequate. Many gaps still enable criminals to continue operating in a lucrative, quasi-regulated market. The field study conducted revealed that human trafficking persists in Kenya.

About the author

Mohamed Daghar is a researcher in the ENACT programme based in Nairobi. He previously worked with government and other research centres analysing evolving areas of crime and ways of responding to them. He has an MA in peace, conflict and development studies from Universitat Jaume I, Spain.

Photo © Adobe Stock

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