By Hope Barbra
What seems like just paying Sh500 to Labor officers at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to fast-track and facilitate the clearance of migrants traveling to the Middle East may look small and harmless—just a drop in the ocean.
But wait: this is a multi-million-shilling cartel operation.
According to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), surveillance confirmed that agents sending migrant workers to the Middle East were indeed paying KSh500 per worker before the workers were cleared to travel.
Data reported by Kenyan news sources shows that over 200,000 Kenyans were employed abroad in the two-year period of 2022/2023 and 2023/2024, with a significant number going to the Middle East. Saudi Arabia alone accounted for 194,320 of these placements.
Using the EACC figures, if each worker paid Sh500 and the total number of migrant workers to the Middle East in the last two years stands at about 200,000, the amount collected comes to a staggering KSh100 million—easy money earned without breaking a sweat.
Yesterday, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) arrested three Ministry of Labor officials based at JKIA for allegedly extorting agents who facilitate migrant workers traveling to the Middle East.
The arrests followed a report alleging that Ministry of Labor officials at JKIA routinely solicited and received bribes for each migrant worker traveling to the Middle East, prompting the start of an inquiry.
On 30th November 2025, the Commission carried out an operation in collaboration with one of the agents, who had 78 migrant workers traveling to the Middle East.
At JKIA, the agent met the three labor officers manning the booth. After tallying the total number of workers, the officers demanded and received KSh34,000.
EACC investigators immediately moved in, arrested the suspects, and recovered the KSh34,000 from them.
The arrested officials are Benson Ouma Okello, Esther Njoki Gakuru, and Denis Marias.
The three suspects were escorted to Integrity Centre for processing and statement recording. They were later released on a cash bail of KSh50,000 each, pending completion of investigations.
The Commission reiterated its commitment to tackling bribery at service delivery points to restore public trust and ensure equitable access to quality services for all citizens.
