A Nigerian woman, Ladi Anzaki Olubunmi, who worked as a content moderator for TikTok in Kenya, has been found deceased under mysterious circumstances. Her body was discovered in her apartment on March 7, 2025, in Nairobi, three days after her passing.
Olubunmi was employed by Teleperformance, the company responsible for moderating TikTok content, and news of her death has raised serious concerns about the working conditions for content moderators in the region. In a show of solidarity, her colleagues held a vigil on March 11 to honor her memory.
According to CNN journalist Larry Madowo, coworkers reported that Olubunmi had repeatedly been denied leave. Although she was entitled to one return ticket home each year, she had not returned to Nigeria since her arrival in Kenya. Friends mentioned that she had expressed feelings of exhaustion and a strong desire to go back home, a trip that had been impossible for her over the last two years.
The circumstances surrounding Olubunmi’s death remain unclear; however, her passing has prompted renewed scrutiny of the conditions content moderators endure. In response to allegations regarding her leave, Teleperformance Kenya issued a statement labeling those claims as “baseless and untrue.” Despite this, colleagues argue that many Nigerian staff members are without work permits, which complicates their ability to travel home.
In addition to Olubunmi’s friends and coworkers, other content moderators from different tech companies attended the vigil, highlighting issues such as low pay, lack of mental health support, and long working hours as contributing factors to the tragic incident. Kauna Malgwi, a friend of Olubunmi, revealed that over 100 Nigerian employees at Teleperformance have been unable to use their annual return tickets due to permit issues.
Olubunmi’s family, who had not seen her since she moved to Kenya in 2022, is now seeking answers about her untimely death. They are also grappling with the logistical and financial challenges of arranging for her burial, which may need to take place in Nairobi.
