Eldoret parents lose millions to rogue jobs agents in 'overseas jobs' deal

Businessman giving bribe money in brown envelope to partner in a corruption scam. [Getty Images]

Unscrupulous overseas agents are exploiting unsuspecting parents in Eldoret City, which is becoming a hotspot for fraud.

The Standard has found that the newest skyscrapers in the city house flashy offices where desperate parents pay fees to help their jobless children find work abroad, in places like the US, Europe, and the Middle East.

But these overseas job schemes are now under intense scrutiny as many parents and their unemployed children claim they have been scammed yet again. This has prompted an outcry and action from investigative agencies.

Police reports reveal that parents are paying between Sh300,000 and Sh1.3 million to overseas job agents to secure work abroad for their children.

Victims, many of whom are now turning to the authorities for assistance, describe the suspected scammers as smooth talkers.

As of yesterday, detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had arrested seven suspects connected to these fraudulent overseas job schemes.

Joshua Lagat, a victim, alleged that he was scammed by an agent who promised to help his child find work abroad. Lagat claims the money he paid was intended to cover the child’s visa and travel expenses.

“I saw the deal was good and therefore I decided to pay Sh350,000 for everything, including travel. But regrettably, after three months, I discovered this was a scam. The agent’s phone went unanswered for almost one month,” Lagat said.

Vivian Jerop, another victim, says she lost Sh600,000 to an agent who promised job opportunities abroad for her two siblings. Jerop claims she reported the scam to the police weeks ago, but no action has been taken against the culprit, who is still running the scheme.

Simon Cheruiyot told The Standard that his family paid Sh700,000 to help him and his brother find work abroad, but no progress had been made.

Uasin Gishu Police Commander Benjamin Mwanthi said the arrests early in the week were made after numerous complaints about suspicious activities by recruitment agencies, which he claimed had left some families impoverished.

Mr Mwanthi, who was accompanied by County DCI boss Daniel Muleli, said they were shocked to find that many job seekers are still lining up at rogue agents' offices, lured by false promises of foreign jobs.

He said preliminary investigations revealed that most of these recruitment agencies are not registered with the National Employment Authority.

Mwanthi warned the recruitment agencies to stop operations immediately and refund parents their money.

“We thought the perpetrators had stopped the business because it was there last year. We have launched a manhunt for more than 10 suspects who evaded arrest during the crackdown exercise. It’s just a matter of time before we catch up with them,” he said.

Mr Muleli reported that two weeks ago, over 400 young people were scammed by a rogue recruitment agency on the outskirts of Eldoret, with each paying Sh300,000.

"The information we have is that a certain company had promised the unsuspecting youth, the majority of them diploma and university graduates, that it would secure job opportunities abroad for them,” he said.

These new scandals come as the County Government of Uasin Gishu is already under scrutiny for a failed multi-billion-shilling education programme.

Testifying in a Nakuru court before Senior Principal Magistrate Peter Ndege last month, one of the victims, David Saina, a teacher, said that he paid Sh1.072 million for his son Evans Koech to go to Finland.

“On September 21, 2022, I deposited Sh200,000 in my son’s name under the overseas account. I deposited Sh200,000 on October 7, 2022, and Sh100,000 on October 12, 2022,” testified Saina.

He added that on October 24, 2022, he deposited Sh450,000, and on January 16, 2023, he paid Sh122,000.

Michael Kiplangat, a retired teacher, said he paid Sh1.013 million under the previous and new county government leadership to facilitate his son’s education in Finland.

He said he paid Sh400,000 on May 12, 2022, Sh300,000 on May 13, 2022, Sh100,000 on May 17, 2022. He paid a further Sh213,000 on November 22, 2022.

Additional reporting by Daniel Chege