A funeral service was held Thursday for a Nigerian content moderator based in Kenya, Ladi Anzaki Olubunmi, who reportedly died under uncertain circumstances in the east African country last month.
Olubunmi’s body was discovered in her Nairobi apartment on March 7, after she had been absent from work for three days.
The 43-year-old Nigerian national worked as a content moderator for TikTok through the global outsourcing company Teleperformance.
Prior to her death, she had reportedly mentioned experiencing exhaustion, though the official cause of death remains undisclosed.
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Her passing brings renewed attention to working conditions faced by digital content moderators employed by tech companies operating in African nations. Workers in this field have previously voiced concerns about below-market compensation, inadequate mental health resources, extended work hours, and workplace intimidation tactics.
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Despite residing in Kenya since 2022 and having contractual travel benefits, Olubunmi had only returned to Nigeria once during her employment.
While colleagues reported she had been “eager to return home” but was unable to secure leave approval, Teleperformance Kenya stated in March that they had not denied her request for time off to travel.
The company remembered her as “a selfless, compassionate and deeply caring individual.”The service was attended by Olubunmi’s older brother, who traveled from Nigeria for the ceremony.
He was visibly distraught as friends and coworkers shared memories of Olubunmi, consistently describing her as “selfless.”
Colleague Tauheed Tayo Yakubu recalled Olubunmi as an advocate for worker rights, noting that in November 2023, she organized a workplace demonstration supporting Nigerian colleagues in their pursuit of proper work documentation. “She requested that every Nigerian leave the job immediately and then we all marched,” he said.
The memorial service drew approximately 200 attendees, including Olubunmi’s colleagues, members of the local Nigerian community, and an official representative from Nigeria’s diplomatic mission in Kenya.
These proceedings took place with full respect for the dignity of all those involved in remembering Olubunmi’s life and contributions.
While the exact cause of Olubunmi’s death remains unknown, those who worked with her said she had complained of experiencing exhaustion in the period before her death and had indicated to visit her home country.
In response to questions about her work situation, the employer outrightly rejected suggestions that Olubunmi had been denied time off, characterizing such claims as unfounded.
This incident occurs against a backdrop of ongoing concerns raised by content moderation workers in Kenya.
Employees of various outsourcing companies have previously highlighted workplace challenges including below-market compensation, insufficient mental health resources, long working shifts, and reported patterns of intimidation in the workplace.
It would be recalled that in March, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) had called for an investigation into Olubunmi’s death.
The agency issued an official statement calling on Kenyan authorities to conduct a comprehensive inquiry to establish the facts surrounding the circumstances that led to Olubunmi’s untimely death.
