The man, whose identity the family requested to keep private for security reasons, had been promised a well-paying IT job but instead found himself trapped in a military-controlled camp near the Myanmar–Thailand border.
According to a detailed account shared by his brother on Saturday, November 29, 2025, the young Kenyan was recruited by individuals who claimed to be hiring for international tech companies.
The family said he travelled believing he had secured a legitimate offer and only learned of the scam when he reached Asia.
The brother explained that upon arrival, the man was moved to an area known locally as Apollo camp, a site controlled by armed forces operating close to the border region.
It is here that his passport and other documents were confiscated, leaving him unable to travel or seek official help.
“My brother is in danger. He told us that the group that received him took away his passport and phones immediately. They now keep him at the border and he has no way to leave. He only managed to talk to us through a phone one of the people inside managed to hide,” the brother said in his statement.
The family says that communication has been extremely difficult, and they only receive short messages sent through Telegram whenever their relative finds a safe moment to reach out.
The brother added that they are unsure where to begin seeking help and asked the Kenyan government to intervene before it is too late.
He explained that they are considering reaching out to the Thai Embassy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other agencies but do not know which office handles cases involving military-controlled zones in Myanmar.
“We are confused. We want to bring him home safely, but we do not know the right steps,” he said.
This incident adds to a growing list of Kenyans who have found themselves trapped in cyber scam compounds across Southeast Asia after falling victim to fraudulent job offers.
Many of these jobs promise attractive pay, especially in IT, customer care, and digital marketing roles, mostly advertised through social media or unregistered recruitment agents.
Earlier in the year, Kenya worked with Thailand, humanitarian organizations, and local Myanmar groups to rescue dozens of citizens who had been forced to work in online scamming operations.
These victims were often taken through Thailand using tourist visas before being smuggled into Myanmar through uncontrolled border crossings.
Several survivors shared stories of being held under harsh conditions, forced to run cryptocurrency scams, romance scams, and other online fraud schemes while monitored by heavily armed guards.
These operations are believed to be run by international criminal networks, many with Chinese leadership.
In a recent ruling that highlighted the seriousness of the problem, the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Nairobi awarded Ksh 5 million to a university student who had been trafficked to Myanmar under similar circumstances.
The court found a Kenya-based recruitment agency responsible for his suffering after it lured him with false promises of a high-paying job abroad.
With the latest case now emerging, families and human rights organizations are urging the government to intensify efforts to protect job seekers and dismantle networks that continue to traffic Kenyans into dangerous foreign territories.
As the man’s family waits anxiously for help, they have appealed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Kenyan Embassy in Thailand to take swift action, noting that any delay may put their relative at further risk.
They say their biggest fear is losing contact completely if the military group discovers that he has been communicating with the outside world.
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