A Kenyan man who was trafficked into Southeast Asia’s notorious cyber-scam networks has won a landmark case in the Employment and Labour Relations Court, securing Ksh. 5 million in compensation for the abuse he endured.
The ruling is considered a major step in combating transnational human trafficking involving Kenyan victims.
Justice Byram Ongaya found that a group of Kenyan recruiters sent the young man to a heavily guarded cyber-scam compound in Myanmar.
Justice Byram Ongaya found that a group of Kenyan recruiters sent the young man to a heavily guarded cyber-scam compound in Myanmar.
According to the court, the recruiters guided him through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, monitored him via WhatsApp during his journey, and handed him over to criminal syndicates operating at the Thai-Myanmar border.
At the time of his trafficking, the survivor was a university student who had put his studies on hold after being promised a legitimate job in Thailand.
At the time of his trafficking, the survivor was a university student who had put his studies on hold after being promised a legitimate job in Thailand.
Once abroad, he and other victims were forced to participate in elaborate online scams targeting social media users worldwide. They were made to impersonate wealthy individuals and scam unsuspecting people.
The court heard harrowing testimony about the conditions inside the compounds. Victims were subjected to extreme physical and psychological abuse, including being locked in dark rooms, forced to stand on sharp stones with heavy water containers on their heads, given dangerous animals as food, and subjected to sexual assault and drug use.
The court heard harrowing testimony about the conditions inside the compounds. Victims were subjected to extreme physical and psychological abuse, including being locked in dark rooms, forced to stand on sharp stones with heavy water containers on their heads, given dangerous animals as food, and subjected to sexual assault and drug use.
The survivor described the experience as “inhuman and demeaning.”
The company Gratify Solutions International Ltd, registered just two months before facilitating his travel, and its directors, Virginia Wacheke Muriithi and Ann Njeri Kihara, were found responsible for coordinating the trafficking.
The company Gratify Solutions International Ltd, registered just two months before facilitating his travel, and its directors, Virginia Wacheke Muriithi and Ann Njeri Kihara, were found responsible for coordinating the trafficking.
Evidence included M-Pesa transaction records and WhatsApp conversations linking the company and its agents to the victim’s ordeal.
Judge Ongaya ruled that the traffickers violated the survivor’s constitutional rights by forcing him into slavery, servitude, degrading treatment, and restricting his freedom.
Judge Ongaya ruled that the traffickers violated the survivor’s constitutional rights by forcing him into slavery, servitude, degrading treatment, and restricting his freedom.
They were ordered to pay Ksh. 5 million in compensation and cover the court’s legal costs by February 1, 2026.
Advocates noted that the company had failed to comply with the National Employment Agency’s recruitment regulations.
Looking forward, the survivor plans to use the compensation to relieve his family’s financial burden and return to school to complete his studies.
Looking forward, the survivor plans to use the compensation to relieve his family’s financial burden and return to school to complete his studies.
His victory is being hailed as a significant precedent for Kenyan courts in holding traffickers accountable and protecting citizens from overseas exploitation.
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