Sama is laying off 1 108 employees from its Kenya-based workforce following an announcement from Meta that it will end a major content and data annotation contract.
The San Francisco-headquartered organisation issued a formal redundancy notice on Thursday to workers tied to the terminated operational workstream.
The layoffs are expected to take effect later this month in line with Section 40 of the Employment Act.
This Kenyan law governs redundancies, including specific notification requirements to employees and labour authorities.
The job cuts underscore the volatility of Kenya’s AI outsourcing sector, which remains heavily dependent on a handful of large US technology clients.
Hired as a contractor, Sama was tasked with handling the human side of maintaining social media platforms and developing artificial intelligence (AI).
Employees were responsible for content moderation—reviewing and removing graphic material from Facebook and Instagram—while simultaneously providing AI data labelling services.
The company says it attempted to engage with Meta after receiving the notice in an effort to save jobs, but these measures were not successful.
The contract termination follows years of legal scrutiny and high-profile lawsuits in the East African nation.
Since 2022, Meta and Sama have faced a landmark case filed by former moderator Daniel Motaung, who alleged an exploitative working environment and union-busting.
Furthermore, a group of 185 former moderators is currently seeking financial compensation, alleging unlawful dismissal and blacklisting from similar roles.
Although Meta initially argued that Kenyan courts lacked jurisdiction, the courts have ruled that the social media giant can be sued locally. The company says it will now focus on its broader operations and data security standards.
“Our immediate priority is supporting our employees through this change and ensuring continuity across our broader operations,” says Annepeace Alwala, vice-president for global delivery and Kenya country lead at Sama.
Share