Puzzle After Nigerian TikTok Moderator Dies In Kenya

A Nigerian woman, Ladi Anzaki Olubumni, who lived and worked in Nairobi, was found dead in her apartment on Friday, March 7, after being absent from work for three days. Her death has sparked outrage among gig workers in Kenya.

According to CNN journalist Larry Madowo, Olubumni moved to Kenya in 2022 to work as a TikTok content moderator and had not seen her family since.

She was employed by a leading global outsourcing company that recruits workers from across Africa to operate in Nairobi. However, despite being entitled to an annual return ticket to her home country, her colleagues claimed she was denied leave due to concerns over her work permit and an allegedly toxic work environment.

Reports suggest that many moderators at the company lacked work permits, preventing them from traveling home for fear of being harassed, extorted, or denied re-entry at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

The company, however, denied these allegations, stating that it had been in constant communication with Olubumni’s family and local authorities to investigate her death. It also refuted claims that employees were instructed not to discuss the case, although Madowo noted that no colleague was willing to speak to him about the matter.

"A Nigerian TikTok content moderator was found dead in Kenya. Coworkers claim she had been denied leave several times, but her employer - Teleperformance - denies it," Madowo wrote, adding "Ladi Anzaki Olubunmi’s family had not seen her since she came to Nairobi in 2022 and are desperate for answers."

In response to the incident, the Kenya Union of Gig Workers (KUGWO) issued a statement on Monday, March 10, urging various government agencies to take action.

"The Kenya Union of Gig Workers (KUGWO) is deeply outraged and saddened by the tragic and disturbing death of Ladi Anzaki Olubumni, a Nigerian national and employee of Teleperformance Kenya, who was reportedly found deceased in her apartment after her absence from work went unchecked for three days," part of the statement read.

"Reports indicate that Ms. Olubumni had repeatedly requested leave and a return ticket home as per her contract but was unjustly denied. Additionally, concerns have been raised about unremitted tax deductions, unfair work permit restrictions, and lack of proper benefits for employees."

The union called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to establish the precise circumstances of her death and urged the Ministry of Labour to probe potential labour law violations, wage deductions, and mistreatment of workers at the company.

KUGWO also pressed the outsourcing firm to permit its employees to join trade unions that can advocate for their rights, in accordance with Article 41 of the Kenyan Constitution.

As of the time of publishing this article, the exact events leading to her death and the cause of her death remain unclear.

Notably, social media content moderation companies have faced increased scrutiny in recent years due to concerns over working conditions. In 2023, some content moderators for TikTok in Kenya threatened legal action against TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, citing alleged mistreatment of employees.

A key issue in their demand letter was the claim that workers were not receiving adequate counseling despite being exposed to disturbing and graphic content.

Another controversy involved Facebook content moderators in Kenya, who have taken legal action against the outsourcing company that employed them, accusing it of fostering a toxic work environment and offering low wages.

The moderators also allege that they were misled about the nature of the content they would be reviewing, resulting in 140 of them being diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), as stated in court documents.

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