Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has terminated its data annotation contract with Nairobi-based outsourcing firm Sama, triggering the redundancy of more than 1,100 workers in Kenya.
The layoffs, which affect 1,108 workers, represent one of the most significant job cuts in Kenya’s growing artificial intelligence (AI) outsourcing sector. Sama confirmed it had issued formal redundancy notices to the affected employees and said the process is expected to be completed by the end of April 2026, in compliance with Kenyan labour laws.
Sama, headquartered in San Francisco and formerly known as Samasource, had provided AI training data services to Meta for years, initially through content moderation and later through computer vision and data annotation work.
The collapse of the contract has exposed the fragility of a business model built around a single dominant client. When some workers attempted to unionise and demand better conditions, they were dismissed. A group of 185 former moderators is currently suing Sama and Meta, alleging illegal dismissal and blacklisting from similar roles with other contractors. The lawsuit seeks $1.6 billion in damages.
Just weeks before the redundancy notice was issued, Kenya’s Court of Appeal ruled that Meta could be sued locally over the dismissals, dismissing Meta’s appeal as devoid of merit.
Despite the controversy, Sama maintains that it has provided living wages and full benefits, alongside wellness programmes, medical cover, and professional counselling support for its workforce.
Industry analysts say the development raises hard questions about Kenya’s growing reliance on large multinational technology firms for digital employment, warning that when a major client decides to automate or move elsewhere, jobs disappear almost overnight.
