Betrayed at Home: Kenyan Workers Abroad Lose Millions to Relatives' Fraud

Returning to Kenya after years of arduous labour overseas, many migrant workers are finding their dreams of a secure future decimated by financial betrayal at the hands of their own families. 

This disturbing trend is leaving returnees vulnerable, disillusioned, and struggling to rebuild their lives from scratch. The sacrifices made by Kenyan migrant workers are immense. Long hours, difficult conditions, and years spent separated from loved ones are all endured with the hope of providing a better life for their families. However, recent cases reveal a pattern of family members mismanaging or outright stealing the savings entrusted to them, shattering the illusion of a secure home to return to.

This crisis is not unique to Kenya. Last year in India, a case of identity fraud showcased the devastating emotional manipulation employed by fraudsters to exploit trust. Bhanumati Singh of Delhi believed she had been reunited with her son, Pinku, who disappeared over two decades prior. The man claiming to be Pinku, an ascetic with a similar scar, convinced the family of his identity. Driven by emotion, Bhanumati and her husband, Ratipal Singh, sold land worth over Sh1.6 million to secure his return. 

Police later discovered the man was an impostor named Nafees. While the Indian case involved identity theft, Kenyan migrant workers often face a more insidious betrayal, one that originates from within their own families. Eunice Wangui, who left Kenya in 2019 to work as a domestic worker in Saudi Arabia, is one such victim. Over three years, she meticulously saved her earnings, entrusting her brother with the task of purchasing land and building a home. 

She wired over Sh1.4 million to her sibling, only to return and find an empty plot instead of the three-bedroom house she had envisioned. Adding to her grief, Wangui arrived in Kenya to bury her son, an event she struggled to attend due to employment restrictions under the kafala system. The kafala system, prevalent in Gulf states, governs the legal status of migrant workers. 

Under this system, a worker's residency is tied to their employer, who has the power to decide whether they remain in employment or face immediate deportation. This effectively leaves workers powerless, preventing them from taking emergency leave or speaking out against mistreatment for fear of being sent home empty-handed. Ms. Wangui's experience underscores the inhumane conditions that many domestic workers endure, only to return home and find they have been defrauded by those closest to them.

Catherine Murigi's story further illustrates the profound impact of this financial deception. After five years working in Saudi Arabia, she entrusted her savings of Sh710,000 to her sister. Upon her return, the money had vanished, recklessly spent by the person she relied on most. 

"I never imagined that my own family could betray me like this. It's difficult to process when the person you trusted most ends up being your greatest downfall," Murigi says. 

Despite this betrayal, Murigi found a way forward, utilising separate emergency savings to establish Leo Delicacies, a bakery in Umoja, Nairobi, determined to rebuild her life and ensure financial independence. Others are not so fortunate. Mary Waithira, who relocated to the United States in 2015, lost millions of shillings to an investment fraud orchestrated by her own sister. 

Hoping to purchase a home, Waithira entrusted her sister to remit funds for a housing project advertised by a Kenyan YouTuber. After sending Sh4.5 million, Waithira discovered that only Sh1.4 million had been sent to the developer, with the rest pocketed by her sister. The project's collapse meant Waithira had no legal recourse to reclaim the lost funds.

"I was vulnerable because I couldn't oversee the transaction myself. I trusted my sister to act in my best interests. It was the worst mistake of my life," Waithira says. 

These cases expose a recurring and devastating reality for many Kenyan workers returning from foreign employment: the fight for financial security is not just against exploitative labour systems abroad, but also often against the very people they consider family. The lack of accessible legal mechanisms to hold relatives accountable further complicates the recovery process, forcing many to absorb their losses and move forward.

Sophia Amina, a former domestic worker who spent nearly a decade in the Gulf states, understands these challenges firsthand. Witnessing the financial exploitation many returnees face, Amina co-founded the Domestic Workers Returnees of Kenya. Incubated by the Centre for Domestic Training and Development, the organisation provides financial literacy and legal aid to migrant workers scammed by relatives. Amina argues that financial awareness programs could help prevent such cases by equipping workers with the tools to manage their investments without intermediaries.

"There needs to be a broader conversation about protecting migrant workers not just while they are abroad, but when they return home," she stated.