The government has evacuated 5,232 Kenyans from 19 countries under the Diaspora Distress Repatriation Programme, amid growing fears of exploitation, abuse and unsafe working environments faced by migrant workers abroad.

The State Department for Diaspora Affairs revealed the data during a visit by Members of the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations.

The lawmakers raised questions over the country’s growing overseas labour programme and called for policy reforms, better coordination and improved transparency.

Committee chairperson Nelson Koech praised the department’s efforts but questioned the overlap between the newly formed Diaspora Placement Agency and the Ministry of Labour.

“We recognise the work you do. But what is the correlation between the Diaspora Placement Agency and the Ministry of Labour?” he asked.

In her response, Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Roslyne Njogu explained that while the Ministry of Labour also handles aspects of labour migration, the Diaspora Placement Agency operates as an independent entity following its creation under Executive Order No. 1 of 2025. Its main role, she said, is to connect Kenyans to global employment opportunities.

Njogu added that the department had facilitated the placement of 400,000 Kenyans abroad by June 2025 and signed five bilateral labour agreements in the last two years.

However, MPs pushed for more clarity and detailed statistics on how the placements are distributed across counties.

“You say you’ve facilitated 400,000 Kenyans, but what are the statistics per county? Why can’t you put faces to these numbers? Where are the details per county?” asked Mandera Central MP Abdulkadir Mohammed.

Other members of the committee raised alarm over unlicensed job agencies and the spread of misinformation targeting desperate job seekers.

“What are the policy and legislative gaps in dealing with rogue agencies? We need to deal firmly with those spreading misinformation to our people,” said Gilgil MP Martha Wangari.

In her reply, Njogu said the department was working with National Government Administrative Officers to raise awareness in communities across the country.

“We have about 10 million Kenyans who are jobless. The 400,000 is just a drop in the bucket,” she said. “But we are committed to changing the narrative of the Kazi Majuu programme and are working with NGAOs to educate Kenyans on their rights.”

She confirmed that the government had successfully evacuated 5,232 Kenyans in distress from 19 countries through the Diaspora Distress Repatriation Programme.