Sama to shed 1,108 jobs after Meta terminates major Nairobi contract

Global data annotation firm Samasource Impact Sourcing, known as Sama, has confirmed a massive redundancy exercise at its Nairobi delivery centre. The company expects to let go of 1,108 employees following a formal notification from Meta to end a significant workstream.

The layoffs come after unsuccessful attempts by Sama to negotiate a contract renewal with the US tech giant. In a statement released on April 16, 2026, the company noted that the affected staff were primarily dedicated to Meta-driven operations. This specific engagement is scheduled to conclude by the end of the month.

Sama has officially moved to comply with Section 40 of the Employment Act 2007, which governs collective redundancies in Kenya. The firm stated it is providing transition support for those losing their roles, though the scale of the exit represents a major blow to the local outsourcing sector.

The relationship between the two companies has faced intense scrutiny for several years. Since 2022, Meta and Sama have been embroiled in legal battles involving former content moderators. These workers alleged poor working conditions, low pay, and insufficient mental health support while reviewing graphic content for Facebook.

A Kenyan court recently cleared the way for Meta to be sued locally, dismissing the parent company's claim that it could not be held liable for the actions of a third-party contractor. These legal pressures coincided with Sama’s shift away from content moderation toward AI data labeling and computer vision.

Recent work at the Nairobi office included labeling footage for Meta's AI-enabled smart glasses. This labor-intensive task is part of a global supply chain that President Ruto has frequently highlighted as a pillar for youth employment and digital economy growth.

The loss of this contract highlights the vulnerability of the Kenyan BPO industry to the shifting strategies of major Silicon Valley players. While President Ruto has championed Kenya as a "Silicon Savannah," the sudden departure of a primary client like Meta leaves a significant gap in the specialized labor market.

Sama’s Country Lead, Mrs. Annepeace Alwala, emphasized that the firm would continue to focus on its remaining data annotation and model evaluation business. However, without a new client of Meta's scale, the immediate future for over a thousand skilled data workers remains uncertain.

The redundancy process will be closely watched by labor unions and the Ministry of Labour, given the ongoing high-profile lawsuits seeking over $1.6 billion in compensation for past workplace grievances.