How desperate Kenyan youth are losing millions to fake 'kazi majuu' promises

Around March this year, several angry job seekers flocked to the office of Trustpin Verified Agent Limited along Moi Avenue.

They had gone there to demand a refund of money paid to the company, which is owned by TikToker Mary Kamunge, aka Rish Kamunge, after a failed foreign jobs bid.

Kamunge used the TikTok platform, where she has many followers, to lure desperate job seekers who, armed with their qualification papers and cash ranging between Sh200,000 and Sh400,000, surrendered the documents and money for overseas jobs in Mauritius.

According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), a total of 43 victims sent Sh13 million to Kamunge through an M-Pesa line registered in the name of the TikToker.

In fact, some of the eager victims incurred extra costs after travelling straight to Mauritius, only to find themselves stranded at the airport without food or any other support.

Following several complaints over the jobs fiasco, authorities moved into action, arresting Kamunge, who was arraigned in court on 28 March, where she was set free on a Sh5 million bond.

Kamunge's case is not an isolated one – the country is dotted with many similar cases in major towns like Mombasa, Nakuru, Eldoret, Kakamega, and Kisumu, among others, where job seekers have either been swindled or are desperately waiting to be taken abroad after parting with huge sums of money.

Lucy Muthoni, a customer service attendant at a Sacco in the capital city, is one of those who lost her hard-earned cash in a dubious overseas job.

Last year, the single mother of a girl paid a substantial amount to NextGen Logistics, a recruiting agency, which promised to facilitate a caregiver job for her in the United Kingdom. Since money was mandatory, which she did not readily have, Muthoni took a loan of Sh350,000 from her employer.

She then made a down payment of Sh210,000 to the agency's owner, identified as David Wakogi, before topping up Sh15,000 for medical tests.

NextGen Logistics associated itself with CCR Group, an international full-service employment, recruitment and human resource company. After a long wait for the job, Muthoni became suspicious.

Upon conducting background checks, the woman realised CCR Group had no links with NextGen Logistics. CCR, in a letter, completely distanced itself from NextGen Logistics.

"We have received reports mentioning a company in Kenya called NextGen Logistics, allegedly operating as a recruitment agency and claiming to send workers to New Zealand through CCR Group. We want to clarify that CCR Group, CC Recruitment and our affiliated companies have no connection with NextGen Logistics or any individuals sending out these fraudulent offers," said CCR Group in the statement.

Following the discovery, Muthoni demanded a refund from Wakogi who, allegedly, started taking her in circles, promising to refund her before eventually going mute and ignoring her subsequent calls. She is demanding a total of Sh225,559 from him.

She reported the matter at Kikuyu Police Station, where there are several similar complaints. We reached Gilbert Tallam, the officer handling Muthoni's case, who said the woman's complaint is not unique.

"He (Wakogi) is giving us a headache, but normally refunds in bits when pressed. Unfortunately, some victims are now not willing to come and follow up the cases, which were reported to different officers at the station and Central Police Station DCI offices," he said.

Muthoni was introduced to Wakogi by one Consolata Mwangi, who admitted referring about eight to ten people to NextGen Logistics. Ms Mwangi regrets being the link between the recruitment firm and job seekers.

"We have been calling him, and the last time (three weeks ago), he said he is planning to sell land to refund the victims and requested more time. I feel so bad that today I don't refer anyone because they keep calling me. We have pushed him to refund the victims because they are suffering," she said.

According to Muthoni, those seeking a refund from Wakogi are about 50. They are allegedly owed Sh2.5 million. Some of the victims include Paul Macharia who parted with Sh181,000, Teresia Thaithi Sh198,000, Agnes Muia Sh220,000, Christine Awino Sh148,000, Anne Wambui Sh520,000, Maureen Kuria Sh261,000, Sharon Joy Sh238,000, Janet Githinji Sh260,000 and Loise Kimani Sh50,000.

Others are Erick Muchemi Sh150,000, Moses Kariuki Sh150,000, Hannah Maina Sh50,000, Betty Njoki Sh148,000, Janet Kerubo Sh200,000, Sherry Sh200,000, Josphat Karanja Sh50,000, Benson Mwaura Sh175,000, Ruth Kamene Sh220,000, James Muiruri Sh160,000 and Kennedy Kariuki Sh75,000.

A DCI officer based at Kikuyu Police Station who is investigating several cases on Wakogi and who requested anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media, said he has many pending court cases against the man, who has been arrested on numerous occasions.

"The guy has several cases and there is another one before Kibera Law Courts. He has another case of forgery of travelling documents, purporting that the persons who had to travel had attended some courses, which is not the case. He has been arrested several times and we only handle cases brought before us," he said.

An online search shows that Wakogi unsuccessfully ran for the Member of County Assembly (MCA) seat for Kikuyu Ward in 2022.

He has been at the forefront pushing for the protection of Ondiri Swamp, where he is also the founder and coordinator of Friends of Ondiri Wetlands (FOW).

Reached for comments three months ago, Wakogi admitted that he owes job seekers money and promised to refund them.

"For Lucy's case, she insisted on a lump sum refund, which together with others, I am working on selling a property to clear these refunds, and she already got Sh60,000 out of Sh210,000. Some of the money was paid through Consolata and not me. I have even gone to the lawyer with some and committed through a promissory note to refund them," said Wakogi.

He claimed that the UK caregiving jobs failed after the UK government launched a probe following the discovery of fraudulent activities in the recruitment process. However, three months after Wakogi committed to refund, the victims are still waiting.

Although accurate figures are not readily available, thousands of Kenyans have been scammed in the overseas job-seeking process, with many left languishing in distress as they try to chase refunds from rogue recruitment agencies who work in cahoots with unscrupulous government officials.

Many of them had sold their properties, including land, or borrowed money to pay recruitment agencies, only to be duped.

According to National Employment Authority (NEA) Director General Edith Okoki, four out of the 595 agencies involved in the recent cases were registered agencies, an indication that even legitimate agencies in Kenya are involved in the fraud.

"This also means that most of these cases involve unregistered agencies, who are hiding in backstreet offices that they use to con unsuspecting Kenyans," said Ms Okoki.

Asked if NEA has a mechanism on how agencies should refund victims of job deals gone sour, she responded in the affirmative.

"Yes, when a job deal goes sour or is botched, whether due to fraud or breach of contract, employment agencies should refund the applicants. NEA has adopted an internal refund mechanism to protect job seekers," she said.

According to Ms Okoki, the process normally starts with the formal launch of a complaint to the authority. "The authority receives complaints through emails or walk-ins," she explained.

The second step involves the authority establishing a migrant resource centre to handle complaints and arbitrate between job seekers and agencies.

"Trained teams at the resource centres then investigate the claims with proper documentation through emails, contracts, payment receipts, as well as capturing any relevant evidence," said Ms Okoki.

Apart from Nairobi, the authority has expanded the services by establishing five more migrant resource centres in Mombasa, Machakos, Uasin Gishu, Kisumu, and Thika.

Ms Okoki was, however, quick to clarify that the authority only intervenes in disputes involving registered recruitment agencies and cautioned job seekers against dealing with unregistered ones.

In a previous interview on Spice FM, Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua said his Ministry is partnering with DCI to investigate cases of job seekers being swindled.

According to Mutua, his ministry has a list of 153 people and companies operating without registration and currently under investigation. Further, the ministry is formulating regulations to guide the recruitment process.

"I told Senate yesterday that I am going to write new regulations that will guarantee that there is a time limit and a system that is predictable, so that once you pay money, there are updates all the time, and the government is fully aware of what is happening," said Mutua.

On refunds, Mutua said job seekers should not expect to be given back the money spent on services like medical tests.

Many Kenyans who have fallen victim to rogue agencies and are now chasing refunds hope the government will step in and help them recover their money.

Despite the suffering job seekers are subjected to, the government continues to downplay concerns over overseas job scams by sending more Kenyans abroad.

In May this year, while speaking at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Cabinet Secretary for Labour Alfred Mutua flagged off 60 Kenyans to Iraq amid complaints about the legitimacy of the process, saying the complaints about the scams are only emerging from quarters dealing with unregistered agents.

Mutua's statement came against the backdrop of the Senate initiating a probe into the government's controversial 'Kazi Majuu' project, following allegations that some recruitment agencies defrauded Kenyan job seekers millions of shillings.

However, a report by the Senate Committee on Labour shows that more than 300 Kenyans paid millions of shillings for jobs in the Middle East through a  recruitment exercise commissioned by the Ministry of Labour last year, but are yet to secure employment.

Representatives of the job seekers who appeared before the Senate Labour Committee recounted how they each paid between Sh15,000 and Sh55,000 for employment promises that remain unfulfilled months later, despite assurances from state agencies.

While appearing before the same Committee on Labour, some applicants of the Kazi Majuu initiative narrated how they were initially asked to pay Sh15,000 for medical checks.

Weeks later, they were summoned to collect offer letters but were instead asked to pay an additional Sh40,000 to facilitate visa processing and secure certificates of good conduct.

"CS Mutua announced the jobs at KICC. After interviews, successful applicants left their passports. Later, we were called back and asked to pay Sh20,000 for the medical check-up. My aunt paid the money, but to date, we have not received any refund," Calvin Nyamweya, an orphan who sought employment in Qatar, told the committee.