Senate is investigating another alleged scandal in Uasin Gishu county where a consultancy agency is accused of defrauding people thousands of shillings on the false promise of finding them jobs in Qatar.
The Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare on Thursday held sittings at the Uasin Gishu County Assembly where it heard complaints from victims and the Management of First Choice Consultancy and Recruitment Agency Ltd.
The session was dominated by tales of how job seekers paid thousands of shillings to the company with hopes of finding jobs in the Gulf country only to realize later that it was a hoax.
Rose Chepkurui, a resident of Nandi County, told the committee chaired by West Pokot Senator Julius Murgor how her father went into depression and eventually died upon learning that she would not be travelling to Qatar for a housekeeping job she had been promised.
"My mother is disabled, she tried her best and even sold the land. I also told my father and he assisted me with some amount, after that, I told him I'm not going. My father became sick because of depression until I lost him," Chepkurui said amid sobs.
She said she first went to the recruitment agency on May 13, 2021, located at Bandaptai building in Eldoret town.
Chepkurui told senators she paid a total of Sh50,000 in two instalments of Sh30,000 and Sh20,000 and was given receipts on both occasions but they were unstamped.
She was then invited for an interview at a later date via text message which she honoured without fail.
"I was told I had passed the interview so I was waiting to travel. After a few weeks tukaambiwa there is a change of plan.
"I'm now stranded here in town, I have three children they are suffering at home. I wanted to go so I would be able to send them to school like other children."
Chepkurui said just around the same time, she got another job opportunity in Canada but her strict mother told her off saying "unataka kupeleka pesa town tena?"
"I remember our President alikuwa anasema nikiweka chini tu Bible, I will deal with cartels na hapa Eldoret, it was home of champions but now imebadilika imekuwa home of cartels," she said.
As the hearing was going down, a court in Nakuru some 155 km away was dealing with another case of similar nature.
Uasin Gishu Senator Jackson Mandago and two county officials were facing charges relating to the alleged embezzlement of over Sh1.1 billion shillings contributed by parents for their children's study abroad.
The funds were collected during Mandango's reign as the Uasin Gishu governor for the offshore study of students in Finland and Canada.
The accused were released on Sh2 million bond or Sh500,000 cash bail.
Made to sit for 13 interviews
Back in Eldoret, victims of the new scandal spoke of how they have been taken in circles in a game of cat and mouse by First Choice.
One of the plaintiffs said he has been invited for 13 interviews and was awaiting to sit on the 14th before public outcry drew the attention of the Senate.
"I did 13 interviews at First Choice and failed one on supervising. The first interview was on security, I was told to go and write a CV and come with a Form 4 certificate and good conduct.
"I came with all those documents but I had some arrears. I was told because you are late you won't be booked on the flight on 6th (of March) to Qatar because you haven't cleared your balance," he said.
He told senators he was told he would be on the second batch of travellers on April 18. He travelled back to Nairobi where he had been working as a waiter but found that he had been fired.
Desperate, he travelled back home in June. He managed to raise the Sh10,000 balance which he paid the recruitment agency in the hopes of travelling to Qatar.
"I enquired about when we would travel but they were very rude in their response. I was given the clearance receipt after paying Sh40,000 but told to wait," he said.
"I'm from a single-parent family and I'm like the father to my three siblings. They were looking up to me to at least go and help them back home. They all sat their KCSE last year and I was the one to clear their school fees.
He continued: "I was told to come because a vacancy for a cashier had been found. I had to submit documents afresh including a CV which they write for you at Sh1,000. They write falsehoods in there but you can't complain because you want a job.
"Friday last week, they sent me a message inviting me for the 14th interview saying there is a job opening in Dubai," he said.
Another victim from Kakamega said she lost her marriage after her husband accused her of unwisely spending the family money and chased her way.
She said her stepmother with whom she grew up also chased her way and so was her daughter who was holding her hand in helping her travel to Qatar.
"Ndoa yangu imebomoka nimeishi tu kuhangaika maisha ya kwa shangazi, kwa mjomba hivyo hivyo. Nilikuwa nikipiga simu kwa admin ananiambia mama tutakutumia pesa kwa simu. Niko na mtoto wa class 8 anastahili aende asome, kweli mimi na miaka yangu hii karibu hamsini na tano mimi ninaweza enda wapi sahi?" she posed.