The U.S. Department of State has placed Kenya on its Tier 2 list in the 2025 U.S. Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, indicating that while the government does not fully meet minimum anti-trafficking standards, it is making significant efforts toward compliance.

• Kenya has strengthened investigations and prosecutions of trafficking cases, particularly those involving forced labor and child exploitation.
• The report criticizes the limited number of convictions relative to the scale of trafficking and notes that victim protection centers are underfunded and unequally distributed, leaving many victims unsupported.
• Children remain the most vulnerable group, exploited in domestic servitude, agriculture, and informal sectors, with Kenya's geographic position also leading to cross-border trafficking of migrants and refugees.
• Official corruption and weak accountability measures are undermining anti-trafficking efforts, despite government awareness campaigns.

Kenya has again been ranked on Tier 2 in the US 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, indicating it does not fully meet minimum standards to eliminate human trafficking despite making significant efforts. The report highlights persistent gaps, including limited victim protection services and a failure to act against complicit officials.

• Kenya investigated, prosecuted, and convicted more traffickers, and partially opened its first state-run shelter for survivors.
• The US faulted Kenya for inadequate protection of Kenyan migrant workers in the Gulf countries and insufficient accountability for fraudulent labor recruitment agencies.
• An amendment to close a loophole allowing fines instead of jail time for sex trafficking has stalled for the fourth year.

A recent US report, the 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, indicates that Kenya remains a significant hub for human trafficking, despite making "significant efforts" to combat the crime. The report places Kenya on Tier 2, citing progress but also highlighting critical shortcomings in meeting minimum standards for elimination.

• Kenyan authorities investigated 42 new trafficking cases and secured 21 convictions in the past year, a substantial increase from 2023.
• The government identified 195 victims, including 154 Kenyans exploited abroad, and opened its first partially state-run shelter for survivors.
• Despite these gains, the report notes minimal protection services for adults, persistent allegations of official complicity, and the continued exploitation of Kenyans by fraudulent labor recruiters, particularly in Saudi Arabia, where 274 Kenyan workers have died over the past five years.