A storm is brewing in Uasin Gishu after job seekers claimed they were swindled out of their hard-earned money by a recruitment agency that promised them jobs abroad.
On March 10, a report by an ad-hoc committee of the Uasin Gishu County Assembly showed how the possible scandal transpired.
“They (the job seekers) learnt about the recruitment agency through an advertisement on social media and roadshows and later during its mega launch that took place on May 20, 2021, where prominent leaders were present,” noted the report.
The affected job seekers claimed that they paid thousands of shillings each for the promised jobs. Most of them paid for six-month contract jobs in Qatar. They were looking to work there during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
When the jobs did not materialise, they went back to the agency for refunds only for their efforts to hit a wall.
The report indicated, “The communicated date of travel came and passed but nothing was communicated to the successful applicants.”
To add insult to injury, the agency had taken their passports and other original documents and has not yet given them back.
Moreover, the youthful job seekers noted that they were threatened and coerced to stop pestering the company about refunds. They claimed that the agency had refused to listen to their demands.
Their search for restitution led them to file a petition at the County Assembly of Uasin Gishu, the county where the saga transpired.
The ad-hoc committee raised recommendations that include the director of the recruitment agency refunding the applicants’ money, the director immediately returning the applicants’ passports and original documents, and the revocation of the agency's license pending investigations. They also wanted to know the legal status of the agency.
The scandal came barely two days after Uasin Gishu Governor, Jonathan Bii, suspended senior county government employees implicated in a scholarship scandal.
Over 200 students from the same county were threatened with eviction from Finnish universities due to unpaid tuition and accommodation fees. The programme was sponsored by the county government of Uasin Gishu.
The students went to Finland under the Finland Overseas Education programme. The universities include Tampere University of Applied Sciences and Laurea University of Applied Sciences.
