A man impersonating a brigadier at the Department of Defence in the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) was caught in the act of conning two desperate jobseekers.
The man was at the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) headquarters along Kiambu Road with two unsuspecting victims before he fainted shortly after being apprehended.
In a statement from KFS on Thursday, March 2, the man collapsed when he noticed that officials were on to him.
"His marks ran out when he was spotted roaming around the headquarters by KFS rangers on duty," read part of the statement.
He was subsequently rushed to a hospital in Nairobi while unconscious as his two victims fled. A fake KDF identity card was also recovered from the suspect.
"The man is currently recuperating at the hospital while still under arrest," KFS announced.
After being discharged from the hospital, the man will be charged in court for impersonation and forgery.
"The public is advised that the positions advertised for recruitment are strictly on merit and as per the respective job descriptions," the statement read.
KFS affirmed that it was a corruption-free zone.
On Wednesday, March 1, the Environment Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya announced plans to recruit 3,000 forest officers to help deal with illegal activities that result in forest fires.
"As the government, we are enforcing enhancement methods and increasing the number of forest officers in the Kenya Forest Service (KFS)," Tuya announced.
Additionally, on February 7, KFS announced 2,300 permanent and pensionable vacancies comprising 2,000 positions for forest rangers.
With the high rate of unemployment in the country, job seekers are urged to be cautious while hunting for a job.
Scammers in the country have been known to adopt new tactics to trick applicants and steal their valuables.
In 2022, World Bank data revealed that the rate of unemployment in Kenya grew from 2.8 per cent in 2016 to 5.7 per cent in 2020 and 2021.
