DNK International By Elizabeth Were,Nairobi
More than 600 Kenyans stranded in Cambodia have moved to the High Court seeking urgent orders compelling the government to evacuate and repatriate them, citing torture, forced labour and inhuman treatment.
In a filed petition at the Nairobi Milimani Law Courts, the petitioners, led by Deriars Misiani, Brian Kimani, Callen Mosiango Morang’a, Davis Shahale Kiliru, Elizabeth Auma Olunga, Kibiro William Igather, Michel Mwenesi, Starllone Onchwari, Samuel Esakina and Gloria Wanjohi, say they are acting on their own behalf and on behalf of more than 600 other Kenyans trapped in the Southeast Asian country.
They are represented by lawyer Danstan Omari and Shadrack Wambui.
The petition names the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service, the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, the Inspector General of Police, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the Directorate of Immigration Services and the Office of the Attorney General as respondents, with the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights listed as an interested party.
Court papers show the petitioners were lured abroad by agents who promised employment opportunities in East Asia, including Vietnam and Thailand.
Upon arrival, they allege they were “forcibly transferred to Cambodia, where their passports and phones were confiscated and they were subjected to forced labour under extreme conditions.”
They further claim that they were made to work up to 16 hours a day and were beaten, electrocuted and stabbed for failing to meet targets.
Some petitioners say they suffered sexual harassment, starvation and severe injuries requiring urgent medical attention.
The group allege that although Cambodian police later raided the premises where they were held, the perpetrators escaped, leaving the Kenyans destitute and stranded.
They therefore accuse Kenyan authorities of failing to provide adequate consular assistance and deny claims that they refused to return home.
The court has been asked to “order the government to immediately verify the victims’ identities, issue emergency travel documents, facilitate their evacuation within 48 hours, and meet the costs of repatriation.”
The petitioners also want investigations launched into the agents behind the alleged human trafficking scheme.
[DNK-International@February 23,2026]
One Comment
I want to go home because they lied about the work further more i and two other friends never received salary so we can’t pay for our ticket home we are stranded and the agent can’t be reached since we came here