Kenya Responds to 'Slave Trade' and Human Trafficking Allegations - November 2025

Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi vehemently denied allegations by the New York Times that implicated the Kenya Kwanza administration and President William Ruto's family in a 'slave trade' involving Kenyans sent to Saudi Arabia. Additionally, Mudavadi refuted claims that Kenya is a human trafficking hub, following a controversy involving 153 Palestinians who traveled from Gaza to South Africa via Nairobi. In a separate development, former Chief Justice David Maraga criticized the government's labor export program, particularly concerning jobs in Qatar reportedly paying up to Ksh200,000 per month. Maraga vowed to end the program if elected, calling it "modern-day slavery" and arguing that the government should focus on creating opportunities at home.