The government has broken its silence regarding an alleged recruitment drive targeting Kenyans for lucrative jobs in South Korea.
In a statement on Thursday, May 8, the Permanent Secretary for the State Department for Diaspora Affairs, Roseline Kathure Njogu, denied the government's involvement in the alleged recruitment drive, which has been deemed fraudulent.
According to the PS, the fake job advertisements specifically mentioned opportunities in “Rural Plus Centres” located in Haenam, Wando, Jindo, Yeongam, and Jangheung counties in South Korea’s Jeollanam-do province.
The government, however, conducted investigations in collaboration with the Kenya Embassy in Seoul and South Korean authorities, and it was established that the job opportunities were not genuine.
"In line with our mandate to protect Kenyans abroad, the State Department, together with the Kenya Embassy in Seoul and South Korean authorities, has thoroughly investigated the job offers and confirmed they are not genuine," PS Njogu revealed in the statement.
“The companies named in these advertisements have denied any involvement in recruiting Kenyan workers and clarified they have no links to recruitment agencies operating in Kenya."
Further, the government warned Kenyans against engaging with agencies or individuals offering jobs in the Asian nation without verification.
To help mitigate the risk of falling for fake job offers abroad, the State Department for Diaspora Affairs urged job seekers to seek verification through the ministry's official contacts.
The government confirmed that those seeking employment in South Korea are free to contact the Kenyan Embassy in Seoul.
The latest warning came amid a spate of concerns from Kenyans about the tendency to be defrauded while seeking greener pastures abroad. Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua recently appeared before the Senate on Tuesday, May 6, where he answered several pressing questions, including why some Kenyans were still in the country despite meeting all the credentials to work overseas.
According to Mutua, job offers do not come from the government but from a broad range of sources. The CS insisted that the government was merely a facilitator.
The CS further observed that some Kenyans who had secured jobs overseas failed to travel for various reasons, including a change of heart, difficulties in obtaining documentation, lack of funds for travel expenses, and even failing mandatory medical tests.
