The Senate will investigate a jobs scam in which hundreds of Uasin Gishu youth said they were conned out of millions of shillings through fake promises of jobs in Qatar — and seats at the World Cup.
Senate Speaker Amason Kingi received the petition from youth who said the paid a private company to take them to Qatar for the jobs after the 2022 World Cup.
The petition was filed on behalf of the youth by human rights activist Kimutai Kirui and youth leader Chepses Arap Koech.
Speaker Kingi has referred the matter to the Senate Labour Committee, which has been directed to investigate and report back within two months.
“I hereby report to the Senate that a petition has been submitted by Kimutai Kirui and other residents of Uasin Gishu county,” Speaker Kingi said when he received the petition.
He said every Kenyan had the constitutional right to petition the senate as provide for in the law.
Kingi noted that the salient issues in the petition were that the First Choice agency allegedly obtained money from more than 500 youths to facilitate them with jobs and studies before the 2022 World Cup.
He said the agency failed to secure the jobs and studies placement. leaving the youth and their families wallowing in poverty, having committed all they had to the agency in the hope of securing employment.
Kingi noted the victims ohad made efforts to seek redress through the police and Uasin Gishu county commissioner which have borne no fruit. Instead, they have been profiled, threatened and intimidated, Kingi quoted the petition as saying.
The petitioners want the Senate to intervene so the youths are refunded their money by the agency and the perpetrators are brought to book and that are properly vetted before they are allowed to operate.
MCAs in Uasin Gishu have also been probing the scam in which youths in were conned out of millions of shillings through fake promises of jobs in Quatar and as well as Uasin Gishu education scholarships in Finland.
Hundreds of the affected youth have been protesting in Eldoret, seeking government intervention to recover money from the agency that was launched two years ago launched by a Cabinet Secretary, a Governor and a top businessman.
The youth claim to have paid between Sh40,000 and Sh100,000 each to secure the jobs. Several complaints were reported at the Eldoret police station but there has been no action by the police.
“Some of us even sold land or gave all that we had hoping to get good jobs out there but everything has turned into a nightmare and suffering for us," one victim said.
In the second suspected scam, more than 2,000 youth also paid money to the Uasin Gishu county government for scholarships in Finland but many of them have either not traveled or are now stranded in the foreign county expected to pay more for the scholarships.
The Uasin Gishu County Assembly constituted an ad hoc committee to look into petitions by members of public on suspected scams.
The move to probe the matter was in a motion moved by the leader of the Majority Julius Sang and seconded by Leader of minority Francis Muya.
The committee will report to the house in two weeks.
Speaker of the assembly Philip Muigei termed the matter as serious and should be probed.
“We will come out with a tangible report on this matter," Muigei said.
(Editby V. Graham)