In May, dozens of disgruntled workers staged a sit-in outside the Nairobi offices of Facebook’s largest moderation provider in Africa to demand payment of their salaries. But the day-long confrontation failed to bear fruit, with workers heading home empty handed. By the evening, Kauna Malgwi says her voice was hoarse from shouting. The 29-year-old is one of 270 Facebook moderators who found themselves jobless in January when their employer Sama sacked its entire Nairobi-based workforce.

Refusing to accept the layoffs, 184 employees filed a lawsuit in March against Facebook owner Meta and its outsourcing partner Sama for unfair dismissal. The workers are also suing the companies over poor working conditions, discriminatory hiring practices, and failure to provide adequate psychosocial support.