Sama Announces Planned Redundancies Affecting Over 1,100 Nairobi Employees

Tech outsourcing firm Sama has announced a redundancy process that will affect more than 1,100 employees at its Nairobi office following the conclusion of a major client engagement.

This comes after Meta, a parent company for Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, ended it contract with the company.

In a statement issued on April 16, the company said it received formal notification from one of its key clients indicating the end of a significant contract, triggering the need to restructure its local operations.

The redundancy process is being conducted in line with Section 40 of the Employment Act, 2007, with formal notices already issued to affected staff and relevant authorities.

Sama confirmed that 1,108 employees will be impacted, primarily those working on the specific client programme that is being wound down.

The company noted that efforts to engage the client and explore alternatives had not been successful, leaving redundancy as the only viable option.

Sama Country Lead and Vice President for Global Delivery, Annemieke Alwala, said the company is working to ensure a responsible transition for affected workers while maintaining operational continuity in other areas of the business.

“As is standard in our industry, client programs evolve, and we work closely with our partners to manage these transitions responsibly. Our immediate priority is supporting our employees through this change and ensuring continuity across our broader operations,” she said.

Alwala acknowledged the broader impact of the layoffs, noting that the company is putting in place support measures for employees, including severance packages, access to wellness resources, medical benefits, and counselling services.

“We recognise the significant impact on the team and the local community. We are actively working to support affected employees with care and respect,” she added.

Sama, which provides data annotation services used in training artificial intelligence and machine learning models, operates a major delivery centre in Nairobi and employs thousands of workers in Kenya.

The company positions itself as a social enterprise focused on ethical AI development and job creation in emerging markets.

The layoffs mark a significant shift for the firm’s Nairobi operations and highlight the vulnerability of outsourcing-dependent jobs to changes in global client demand.

Despite the restructuring, Sama said it remains committed to its operations in Kenya and will continue delivering AI-related services to its global client base while upholding its standards on data security and responsible AI practices.