Kenya Blacklists 32 Recruitment Firms in Crackdown on Fraudulent Job Agencies

The Kenyan government has escalated its campaign against unscrupulous recruitment agencies preying on job seekers desperate for overseas employment, blacklisting 32 firms operating without proper authorization. 

This crackdown is part of a wider effort to sanitize the recruitment sector and protect vulnerable individuals from financial exploitation. Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua disclosed the names of the banned agencies, including Gulfway Recruitment Company, Royal Capital Placement, Geoverah Agency Ltd, First Choice Recruitment and Consultancy, and Daawo Holdings, during a session with the Senate’s Labour and Social Welfare Committee. He added that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is actively investigating an additional 153 agencies suspected of fraudulent activities, with potential prosecutions on the horizon.

The government’s actions come amid mounting allegations that numerous Kenyan youth have been victims of fraudulent schemes promising lucrative overseas jobs. The Senate committee, under the leadership of West Pokot Senator Julius Murgor, is currently investigating claims that job seekers have lost millions of shillings through a government-backed labour export program that has allegedly gone awry.

The committee proceedings were marked by a contentious exchange between Dr. Mutua and Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba, with accusations of misinformation leveled by both sides regarding the labour export program's management. Senator Orwoba has been a vocal advocate for affected job seekers, while Dr. Mutua has defended his ministry, asserting that measures are being taken to protect Kenyans from fraudulent intermediaries.

In a further development, Festus Omwamba, Director of Global Face Human Resource, alleged that Senator Orwoba had sought placement for 600 job seekers through recruitment agencies under the government program in February. Omwamba claimed that only a fraction of these candidates were successfully placed, leading to the senator allegedly exerting pressure on the agencies after delays. He stated that his agency refunded medical test fees amounting to Ksh15,000 to unsuccessful applicants, but Senator Orwoba remained dissatisfied.

Dr. Mutua affirmed that efforts are underway to rectify the recruitment sector and that individuals who did not secure jobs had been refunded, excluding medical examination fees. He attributed delays in processing placements to administrative challenges rather than deliberate attempts to defraud job seekers. Senator Orwoba refuted the allegations of personal interest, emphasizing her commitment to uncovering the extent of fraudulent activities. She insisted that the focus should remain on the victims rather than political distractions. 

“Let us not personalize this matter but listen to the victims. It is not just about the 89 youth from Bobasi but countless Kenyans who have been conned by rogue recruitment agencies,” she stated.

She also questioned the justification for deploying Kenyans to Iraq, a country from which some are seeking repatriation due to poor working conditions. She challenged Dr. Mutua to provide concrete evidence of the government’s labour export initiative's success.