Africa-Press – Kenya. Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has directed the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to launch a probe into illegal job recruitment companies.
Mutua issued the directive after identifying travel companies as being at the centre of scams targeting Kenyans seeking employment abroad.
In a statement providing an update on the progress of a crackdown on rogue agents and illegal labour mobility practices, Mutua revealed that, of the 62 companies against which victims had lodged formal complaints, the majority were travel agencies.
As such, in the statement released on Friday, July 18, Mutua issued a stern warning to the companies, noting that it is not within their mandate to conduct labour recruitment.
“Travel agencies are NOT licensed to conduct labour recruitment. It is illegal for them to do so without proper accreditation from the Ministry of Labour through the National Employment Authority (NEA),” Mutua stated.
The suspected parties, which he did not name, were directed to appear before the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) at the Multi-Agency Taskforce Office at the NSSF Building, on or before Monday, July 21, by 2 pm.
The CS disclosed that since the establishment of the Labour Mobility Multi-Agency Response Team, the ministry had received 84 formal complaints from 15 counties across the country.
In the complaints, unsuspecting Kenyans alleged having lost a total of Ksh17.3 million to individuals and entities falsely purporting to offer overseas job opportunities.
“Worryingly, many of the complainants report that their passports have been unlawfully withheld for over a year, effectively denying them both opportunity and dignity,” Mutua noted.
He observed that the overarching theme of the complaints pointed to companies and individuals who were unlicensed, unregistered, deregistered, non-compliant with labour migration regulations, and non-tax compliant.
To that effect, the Cabinet Secretary announced that his ministry had taken immediate action, including directing the individuals and companies summoned to present any passports in their possession belonging to complainants during their appearance at the NSSF offices.
Another step involved processing a significant number of pending cases, which had previously created a backlog. Mutua noted that these cases had now been reviewed and forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). “Arrests and prosecutions will begin immediately,” he warned.
Mutua also urged Kenyans who had fallen victim to job scams to come forward and report to the multi-agency team stationed at the NSSF Building from Monday to Friday, between 9 am and 1 pm, carrying all relevant supporting documents.
“If you live outside Nairobi, kindly call our toll-free number 0800 222 223 for guidance on how to file your complaint remotely,” the CS advised.
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