EU-IOM Joint Initiative

for Migrant Protection and Reintegration

Twenty-six suspected victims of trafficking who were stranded in Kenya, have been assisted to return to Burundi.

Another three tested positive for COVID-19 and were due to continue with the journey on a later date.

The assisted returns followed a request made by Kenya’s Directorate of Immigration Services, through the National Coordination Mechanism on Migration, for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to assist with screening and repatriating the 29.

The screening was aimed at assessing whether the migrants were eligible for IOM’s Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration support and if they would accept such assistance. It was also meant to ascertain if there was evidence of exploitation.

The 29 women were between the ages of 22 and 41, and were regarded as potential victims of trafficking. Most of them had been in Kenya since February 2021 in holding centres or at police stations, hence were in dire need of assistance.

They had been promised jobs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Oman where they were going to work as domestic workers. But they had no job contracts nor information on their employers.

During transit through Tanzania and within Kenya, their movement were restricted by the recruiters. Some of the migrants were found to be without their passports which had been taken by the recruiter, and thus were later issued with temporary passes by the Burundian embassy.

Through IOM the 29 were provided with return flights, temporary shelter, hygiene kits, medical test examinations, along with COVID-19 tests and in-kind cash to facilitate their local travel in Burundi.

Support for the movement was provided by the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration in the Horn of Africa (the EU-IOM Joint Initiative).

“I am happy that the 26 Burundian women migrants who were in dire need of support and assistance have safely returned to their home country and that three will return as soon as they recover,” said Sharon Dimanche, Chief of Mission, IOM Kenya.

About the EU-IOM Joint Initiative

Launched in December 2016 and funded by the European Union (EU) Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, the programme brings together 26 African countries in the Sahel and Lake Chad, the Horn of Africa, and North Africa regions, along with the EU, and IOM around the goal of ensuring that migration is safer, more informed and better governed for both migrants and their communities.

For more information please contact: Julia Hartlieb, email: jhartlieb@iom.int, Wilson Johwa, email: wjohwa@iom.int or Muthoni Njenga, email: mnjenga@iom.int