Samasource to fire 1,108 employees after Facebook parent Meta ends Nairobi office contract

In a media release dated April 16, 2026, the company stated that it had engaged the client in an effort to safeguard jobs and sustain operations at the site, but the discussions were unsuccessful, prompting the company to issue a formal notice of intended redundancy to affected staff.

The redundancy process, issued in compliance with Section 40 of the Employment Act 2007, will impact 1,108 employees, many of whom are attached to the Nairobi office. 

Sama Country Lead and Vice President for Global Delivery, Annepeace Alwala, confirmed the development, noting that shifts in client programmes are common within the industry.

“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,” Alwala stated. 

She added that the company is taking steps to support affected staff during the transition. 

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

"Our teams receive living wages and full benefits, and have consistently had access to comprehensive wellness resources, full medical benefits, and on-site counselling support by qualified and licensed practitioners." 

Sama, which operates a major service delivery centre in Nairobi, is a global provider of data annotation services used in artificial intelligence and machine learning development. 

The company works with leading technology firms including Meta, to deliver data labelling and model evaluation services.

Despite the layoffs, the firm said it remains committed to its core business and to maintaining high standards in data security, responsible AI, and workforce support. 

Sama has been entangled in legal hurdles after former Facebook moderators filed a lawsuit against Meta and its subcontractors, including Sama, alleging psychological trauma from exposure to harmful content while labelling material used to train artificial intelligence models. The case also raised concerns over low pay and working conditions.

Following the dispute, Sama announced it would discontinue content moderation services for social media platforms, where workers review and remove posts flagged for violating platform rules, and instead shift its focus to computer vision work.

In response, Meta assured the public that harmful content would continue to be flagged despite the change.

On the allegations of low pay, the company declined to comment directly on the legal proceedings but said it requires its partners to provide industry-leading pay, benefits and worker support.