A Senate Committee on Tuesday questioned Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua over a wave of fraud claims associated with an overseas jobs programme overseen by the government.
- •Senators in the Labour and Social Welfare committee, chaired by West Pokot Senator — Julius Murgor — listened to testimonies from victims who said they paid thousands of shillings to secure jobs that never came to fruition.
- •The revelations centered on a recruitment drive targeting placements in the Middle East, where jobseekers were reportedly asked to pay between KSh 15,000 and KSh 55,000 for medical tests and travel arrangements.
- •Some of them described being summoned to venues like the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) and Kabete National Polytechnic, only to leave with no documentation and mounting doubts.
Mutua defended the programme and attributed the delays to logistical bottlenecks, medical disqualifications, and incomplete documentation.
“The deployment of migrant workers involves several stages, including registration, mandatory medical examinations and coordination with foreign employers and agencies, which may result in delays,” CS Mutua said during the committee sitting.
The Senate Committee is looking into the issue after job seekers who travelled repeatedly to Nairobi and borrowed money to cover the required fees had not received any receipts or refunds. They had also been instructed to pay in cash, despite the government claiming that the process would be free.
Mutua denied having any records of anyone who had backed out of the recruitment drive and got his refund denied. He stated that much of the turmoil resulted in poor communication.
“All individuals who chose not to travel have been refunded their money, excluding the medical fee, since costs are incurred for medical tests such as X-rays and blood work,” Mutua added.
The Cabinet Secretary also revealed that the ministry had blacklisted over 30 recruitment agencies for violating regulations and was investigating 153 more.