The Kenyan Embassy in Thailand has raised an alarm over the number of locals selling their land in a bid to secure lucrative jobs abroad.
In a statement released on Monday, August 22, the Embassy clarified that the majority of the opportunities offered by the agencies operating in Nairobi at a fee were non existent.
It added that the agencies were part of an international syndicate targeting unsuspecting job seekers across the world and has left many of its victims and their families financially crippled.
"Fake employment agents continue to make millions from the unsuspecting young Kenyans. The Embassy warns Kenyans to be wary and stop selling family land and meager income for fake jobs," the High Commission warned.
In addition, it disclosed that families were also putting their kin at risk as some of the agencies were acting on behalf of human trafficking cartels.
According to the Embassy, once the Kenyans arrive at the destination countries, their travel documents are withheld. This means that they cannot travel back home or seek help from the consulates.
"Many innocent Kenyans have fallen victim to international human traffickers in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, whose number has gone up in the recent past.
"After being abandoned in Myanmar, without return tickets and money for food, their families are left with the burden of catering for their return home," the Embassy revealed.
Furthermore a section of the Kenyans end up in areas controlled by rebel groups, where there is little or no regard for human dignity
Leonard Ngeno, who claims he almost fell victim to the scam, noted that the fake recruitment agencies offer tourist visas instead to the unsuspecting Kenyans.
However, for any Kenyan to work abroad, they need a work permit and get a work visa. Consequently, those travelling abroad may have run-ins with the authorities in host countries.
More Kenyans leave the country for abroad in search of jobs. This is attributed to the large number of youth -1.2 million - released to the labor market annually amid rising unemployment.
