Samasource has announced plans to retrench 1,108 employees following the termination of its Nairobi-based contract by Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook. The move is expected to significantly impact workers in Kenya’s outsourcing and content moderation sector.
The decision comes after Meta ended its engagement with Samasource, a company widely known for providing data annotation and content moderation services. The Nairobi office had been a major hub for these operations, employing hundreds of workers tasked with reviewing online content. With the contract now discontinued, Samasource says it has been left with no choice but to scale down its workforce.
The layoffs are set to affect over a thousand employees, raising concerns about job security within Kenya’s growing digital outsourcing industry. Many of the affected workers relied on the roles as their primary source of income, making the retrenchment a major economic blow.
Labour stakeholders and industry observers have called for measures to support those losing their jobs, including fair compensation and assistance in transitioning to new employment opportunities.
The development has also sparked debate about the sustainability of outsourcing contracts in the tech sector. Kenya has increasingly positioned itself as a hub for digital services, attracting global firms seeking cost-effective labor. However, the Samasource case highlights the vulnerability of workers and firms that depend heavily on single large contracts.
Experts are now urging policymakers to strengthen protections for workers in the outsourcing industry. This includes ensuring better labor standards, diversifying client bases for local firms, and creating safety nets for employees affected by sudden contract terminations.
As Samasource begins the retrenchment process, attention will turn to how the company handles employee exits and whether alternative opportunities can be created within the sector. The situation also places renewed focus on how Kenya can build a more resilient digital economy that balances global partnerships with local job security.
