Kenya keeps Tier 2 in US trafficking report as convictions drop to six
The US State Department's 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report says Kenya identified more victims but fell short of minimum standards. Prosecutions dropped from 44 to 14 and convictions from 21 to six, The Star reported.
Kenya has kept its Tier 2 ranking in the US Department of State's 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report, The Star reported on Friday. Tier 2 countries do not fully meet the minimum standards for ending trafficking but are making significant efforts to do so. The report says Kenya stepped up its efforts during the review period. It also says the government still falls short on prosecutions, official complicity and victim protection. The figures expose the gap. Kenya investigated 43 trafficking cases in 2025, up from 42 in 2024, according to the report. Prosecutions fell sharply, from 44 to 14. Convictions dropped from 21 traffickers to six. "The government decreased anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts," the report says. The report credits Kenya with identifying more victims: 271 in this reporting period, up from 195 in the previous assessment. The government also identified 1,021 potential victims. Kenya worked with non-governmental organisations to support victims. It also repatriated citizens forced to work in online scam operations in Southeast Asia. For the first time, a Kenyan court issued a…
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