Teleperformance Kenya, a subcontractor for TikTok, has refuted allegations that it stopped a Nigerian content moderator, Ladi Olubunmi, from traveling back to Nigeria before her death.
According to a report by ABC News on Wednesday, Olubunmi’s decomposing body was discovered in her apartment last week, three days after her reported death.
In a statement to The Associated Press, the company dismissed claims that it denied her request for leave.
International media sources reported that some of Olubunmi’s colleagues alleged she had been experiencing extreme fatigue and was eager to return home. Despite being entitled to an annual return ticket to Nigeria, they claimed she was unable to travel due to issues surrounding her work permit.
Olubunmi allegedly pleaded with her supervisors for permission to visit Nigeria but was unsuccessful, a claim Teleperformance Kenya described as “false and baseless.”
The deceased relocated to Kenya in 2022 to work as a TikTok content moderator under Teleperformance, a French outsourcing company contracted by the social media platform.
Following her passing, Kenyan technology workers held a vigil in her memory, expressing concerns over poor working conditions, which they believe may have contributed to her death.
Speaking to AP, Kauna Malgwi, a friend of Olubunmi, stated that over 100 Nigerians working at Teleperformance Kenya lack valid work permits, preventing them from traveling home despite their entitlement to an annual return ticket.
Meanwhile, efforts to get a response from the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission regarding the case were unsuccessful, as its spokesperson, Abdulrahman Balogun, did not respond to inquiries.
This incident adds to previous cases of Nigerians dying under unclear circumstances in Kenya. In July 2021, two Nigerians lost their lives at a house party, with one reportedly falling from the seventh floor of an apartment in Kilimani, while the other collapsed and was later pronounced dead.
Leave a Reply