The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection has uncovered a fraudulent overseas recruitment scheme involving forged government documents, an unlicensed recruitment network, and false claims of direct employment in Oman.
According to an investigation report dated January 30, 2026, the scheme targeted several Kenyan job seekers scheduled to travel abroad for work. It was established that the recruitment process did not follow legal migration procedures, exposing the jobseekers to a high risk of exploitation, trafficking, and financial loss.
“Officials established that the stamps appearing on the recruitment documents were fake and did not originate from the Ministry of Labour, while verification with the Ministry’s Attestation Department showed that no authorised officer had processed or approved the clearances presented,” they stated.
Investigators found that the recruitment was not conducted through a registered Kenyan recruitment agency, as required by law. Instead, it was facilitated through informal intermediaries who lacked the legal authority to recruit workers for overseas employment and relied on claims of direct hiring to bypass regulatory scrutiny.
The report further revealed that labour clearance and contract confirmation documents presented to the job seekers were forged. This was after the Ministry confirmed that the stamps and approvals appearing on the documents did not originate from the Ministry of Labour and were not processed by any authorised officer.
Checks carried out on the Oman e-Visa system also showed no records of valid work visas linked to the recruitment, confirming that the promised employment opportunities were not processed through lawful immigration channels.
“Further checks on the Oman e-Visa portal returned no records of valid work visas linked to the recruitment, confirming the documents were not legitimate,” the ministry added.
The Ministry concluded that the operation was deliberately structured to bypass established migration safeguards by using forged documents and unauthorised intermediaries, significantly increasing the risk of neglect once jobseekers travel abroad.
Authorities have directed individuals behind the scheme to surrender to the DCI before summons are issued to trace and apprehend those involved.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Labour confirmed that more than 680 rogue recruitment agencies have been deregistered for operating without valid licenses or breaching labour regulations.
A multi-agency task force comprising the DCI, the Asset Recovery Agency and the National Employment Authority is currently probing at least 390 agencies for fraud and irregular hiring practices, with several major cases already forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Jobseekers have been urged to exercise caution when seeking employment abroad and to engage only licensed recruitment agencies. The Ministry advised the public to verify agencies through official government platforms and avoid making payments without proper documentation.