More than 60 Kenyans who were recently rescued from cyber scam compounds in Myanmar remain stranded at the country’s border with Thailand, facing harsh conditions as they await repatriation, according to Kenya’s State Department for Diaspora Affairs.
The 64 Kenyans were among thousands of foreign workers freed from Myanmar’s scam centres, where victims are lured with promises of lucrative jobs but are instead held captive and forced into online fraud. The rescues followed a crackdown by Myanmar’s authorities, partly due to pressure from China, which has also seen thousands of its own nationals repatriated.
However, while other nationalities have managed to leave, the Kenyan group remains stuck. “They are yet to cross the border to Thailand for onward repatriation,” Kenya’s diaspora office said in a statement on Monday. Thai authorities have not reopened the border crossing since February 12, 2025, when an earlier group of 260 foreign workers, including 23 Kenyans, was handed over to the Thai military.
As a result, the stranded Kenyans are currently living in makeshift camps at the Myanmar-Thailand border, where they lack medical care, clean water, and electricity. Kenyan authorities said they were urgently exploring alternative routes to bring them home.
The scale of human trafficking linked to Myanmar’s cyber scam industry remains alarming. The United Nations estimates that as many as 120,000 people, mostly Chinese nationals, could still be trapped in similar compounds. Just last week, around 600 Chinese victims were repatriated via Thailand.
Kenya has urged international cooperation to ensure the safe return of its citizens, as well as stronger measures to combat the widespread scam networks operating in Myanmar’s lawless border regions.
