Kenyans seeking jobs abroad have been urged to always work with agents registered with the National Employment Authority (NEA) and those on the Kenya Maritime Authority website.
Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu said it is unconscionable for someone looking for a job to lose their money to someone who wants to obtain money through false pretense.
“As government, we take these issues very seriously. However, we urge Kenyans to be very vigilant,” PS Njogu spoke during the official opening of the inaugural Inter-County Job Fair in Meru County.
In October last year, the government acknowledged that there are almost 1,000 agencies that have deceived Kenyans, and that they were vetting them.
As a result, Labour and Skills Development PS Shadrack Mwadime announced that the government had blacklisted and banned over 500 recruitment and job placement agencies, in a bid to safeguard the rights and welfare of Kenyans seeking jobs abroad.
Mwadime further noted that agencies suspected of failing to follow legal and policy requirements and engaging in fraudulent practises would face legal consequences.
Earlier in March 2023, Labour Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore announced that 26 rogue job recruitment agencies had been banned from sending potential Kenyan workers abroad.
The agencies, the CS said, had been flouting various policies, and had been engaging in human trafficking. resulting in abuse and torture of Kenyan workers abroad, especially in the Middle East.
At least 93 Kenyans died while working in the Middle East between 2019 and 2021, many of them in Saudi Arabia, the third largest source of remittances.
Njogu noted that her department will continuously engage foreign governments in opening up job pathways for interested Kenyans to join the diaspora given their hard work, innovativeness and zeal, a feat that the Kenyan youth are recognized for globally.
The state department has been rolling out various initiatives to encourage and facilitate Kenya Kwanza’s labour export strategy, as it seeks to enhance remittances.
Despite these interventions, cases of fraud in the labour export sector continue to emerge, the latest being that of City preacher James Wanjohi and three directors of two companies allegedly, who allegedly thousands of Kenyans over Sh1 billion with a promise to help them secure jobs abroad and travel visas.
Wanjohi of Worth Start Africa is alleged to have received over Sh600 million from more than 4,000 job seekers, while Alphonce Kioko, Sheila Kavaya and Nancy Gathoni are accused of collecting over Sh800 million from unsuspecting Kenyans in search of greener pastures abroad.
On her part, Technical & Vocational Education and Training PS Dr. Esther Mworia urged Kenyans to take advantage of the opportunities available in the diaspora noting that the TVET is continuously working on the curriculum to ensure Kenyans have the necessary quality of skill set to compete in the global labour market.
The Inter-County Job Fair is part of the ‘Mashinani’ engagement, in which the State Department of Diaspora Affairs and other stakeholders seek to educate the public on the job opportunities available abroad.
The initiative also seeks to provide procedural and documentation guidance on labour migration, and enlighten Kenyans on the benefits and challenges of labour migration.
