Mareeg.com-Nairobi, 25 June 2026 — A new openDemocracy investigation reveals allegations that foreign workers were recruited to Kenya for customer service or front-desk jobs, only to discover that they would be working as TikTok content moderators, spending long hours viewing footage of murders, rape and child abuse.
Ten current and former Teleperformance moderators told openDemocracy that they had worked without valid permits despite repeatedly asking the company to secure them. The investigation centres on Ladi Anzaki Olubunmi, a 41-year-old Nigerian woman who moved to Nairobi in 2023, believing she had secured a front-desk role. She was found dead in her apartment in March 2025. More than a year later, police have still not released her death certificate or post-mortem results.
Teleperformance denied using fake jobs to recruit content moderators and denied that employees worked without permits. It also rejected workers’ claims about inadequate or non-confidential counselling, saying its wellness programme prioritises employee welfare.
Miriam Mang’oka of Awareness Against Human Trafficking told openDemocracy that, if the workers’ accounts are accurate, the alleged deception, undocumented employment and dependence on the company for legal status could amount to human and labour trafficking.
