One Brother Dead, Sh 400,000 Lost in Dubai Job Fraud

Peter Kimanga, 35, and his younger brother Kelvin Mwangi, 32, left Nairobi for Dubai on April 29, 2024, in a desperate bid to secure employment and transform their lives.

They aspired to find employment at a supermarket in the opulent city, each earning a monthly salary of approximately Sh150,000. However, this opportunity came at a substantial cost as their mother, Jane Nduta had paid a staggering Sh400,000 to a Kenyan intermediary to facilitate these prospective jobs. Upon their arrival in Dubai, the brothers were expected to be welcomed by Julian Wanjiku who would provide them with temporary accommodation and assist them in obtaining the necessary working visas. As is common practice among overseas job agencies, the brothers were initially travelling on visitor visas, with their return tickets indicating a departure date of May 15, 2024.

This was merely a ruse to evade the stringent Emirati immigration process, as the understanding was that the brothers would not be returning home anytime soon in their pursuit of greener pastures. Regrettably, Wanjiku failed to meet the brothers at the airport as agreed, and they were instead picked up by another agent and driven to Jebel Ali, a port town located 35 kilometres southwest of Dubai. Once there, they were ushered into an abandoned, dilapidated apartment at Jebel Investment Park where the promised jobs never materialized, plunging them into a harrowing ordeal that would ultimately end in tragedy. The circumstances surrounding the death of Kimanga on May 15, the same day the two brothers were expected to travel back according to their return air tickets, are contested by both parties.

Kimanga's family claims he succumbed to the stress and despair of facing homelessness and threats from a local agent while Nduta alleges that her son was frustrated after being duped by Julian Wanjiku Maina who pocketed 400,000 shillings, only for the brothers to arrive in Dubai and find it was a job scam. Wanjiku acknowledged receiving Sh100,000 from Nduta on April 24, explaining that she acted as an intermediary, connecting Nduta's family with a job facilitator in Dubai. However, she insists that she was not responsible for the unfortunate outcome, claiming that Nduta's son died of alcoholism after arriving in Dubai. The case is now under police investigation with Nduta seeking a refund and prosecution of Wanjiku.

Mwangi repatriated Kimanga's body to Kenya on May 28, with the family incurring a cost of Sh670,000 for the transportation. Kimanga was then laid to rest on June 5. Another individual named Waiganjo was also tempted by the allure of pursuing better opportunities overseas. On May 18, Waiganjo sent Sh110,000 to Wanjiku having been offered a supermarket job and free housing in Dubai through official records. However, upon sharing the documents with a friend and verifying them with travel agents, it became evident that the papers were fraudulent. Waiganjo's family promptly reported Wanjiku to the police, leading her to refund the money out of fear of arrest. Wanjiku acknowledges receiving and refunding the money, blaming an assistant for the fake documents.

Reports suggest that more jobless Kenyans fell victim to Wanjiku's bogus overseas job offers as desperate job seekers remain vulnerable to such scams. In a separate incident, a religious leader swindled thousands of job hopefuls out of a massive sum of money by deceiving them about lucrative overseas employment opportunities. Aspiring workers paid between 100,000 and 140,000 shillings, believing they were securing caregiver and hotel management positions abroad. However, these individuals lost their investments and also faced visa restrictions from Canada after it was discovered that fraudulent paperwork had been used to support their visa applications.