1,100 face job losses as Meta severs ties with Kenyan content moderator

Samasource Impact Sourcing (Sama), the outsourcing firm that has been moderating content for Meta at its Nairobi operation, will lay off more than 1,100 of its Kenyan employees after the social media giant terminated the contract. 

The development follows years of legal battles between Meta and former Sama employees, who claimed the outsourcing firm had poor working conditions, low wages and inadequate mental health support for reviewing graphic content, some of which was from conflict-prone regions. 

Sama, on Wednesday, notified employees of the planned layoffs that would be effected at the end of April after Meta, which is the parent firm for major social platforms including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, decided not to renew its contract.  

"Samasource Impact Sourcing recently received a formal notice from Meta, a key client, to end a major engagement at our Nairobi office,” said Sama in a statement that also said the engagement with Meta would be concluded later this month.  

The firm said that following the notice by Meta, it had tried to persuade the tech giant to reconsider the decision, but talks have not been successful.

It added that following the developments, “a formal notice of intended redundancy was issued on April 16, 2026 to the staff at the Sama Nairobi office.” 

“As is standard in our industry, client projects evolve, and we work closely with our partners to manage these translations responsibly. Our immediate priority is supporting our employees through this change and ensuring continuity across our broader operations,” said Annepeace Alwala, Sama Country Lead and Vice President, Global Delivery. 

“We recognise the significant impact on the team and the local community. We are actively working to support affected employees with care and respect as we always do.” 

Meta severing ties with Sama’s Kenyan operation is a big blow for the country’s outsourcing sector, as reports say that its replacement is Majorel, a Luxembourg-based outsourcing firm.  

Sama and Meta have been fighting a suit in the High Court in Kenya filed by former Facebook content moderator Daniel Motaung, who accuses the companies of violating his rights and those of his colleagues. 

Mr Motaung accuses the two firms of misrepresenting their job description and also neglecting the mental health of content moderators employed to review and remove graphic and disturbing content from the platform.  

Meta applied to have the case dismissed on the grounds that Meta Platforms Inc and Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd are foreign corporations that are neither resident, domiciled, nor trading in Kenya and thus out of the jurisdiction of the Kenyan court.  

In September 2024, the Court of Appeal ruled that Meta can be sued in Kenya, rejecting Meta’s assertion that Kenyan courts lacked jurisdiction. The case is still going on. 

Sama, in its notice warning employees of planned redundancies, said it prioritised the mental health of its employees. 

“Our teams receive living wages and full benefits and have consistently had access to comprehensive wellness resources, full medical benefits and on-site counselling support by qualified licensed practitioners,” said Sama in its notice on Thursday.