A ticket to nowhere: Swindled job seekers fight for refunds as scammers go scot-free

In March, dozens of angry job seekers flocked the offices of Trustpin Verified Agent Limited, located on Moi Avenue, Nairobi.

They had come to demand refunds for payments made to the company-owned by TikToker Maria Kamunge, popularly known as Rish Kamunge-after promised employment opportunities in Mauritius failed to materialise.

When Kamunge launched Trustpin Verified Agent Limited, she promised desperate Kenyans a gateway to lucrative jobs overseas.

With her online charisma and slick marketing, she attracted a flood of hopefuls-many of whom sold land, emptied savings or borrowed heavily to finance their journey.

But their dreams crumbled when the promised jobs in Mauritius never materialised, igniting a storm of anger, police reports, and a Sh13 million fraud claim.

Desperate job seekers had surrendered their academic documents and money -ranging between Sh200,000 and Sh400,000-in exchange for job placements abroad.

According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), 43 victims sent a total of Sh13 million to Kamunge via an M-Pesa number registered under her name.

Some victims, acting on her assurances, even travelled to Mauritius, only to find themselves stranded at the airport with no job, food or accommodation.

After several complaints were lodged, Kamunge was arrested and arraigned in court on 28 March. She was released on a Sh5 million bond, pending further investigations.

Nextgen

Her case is not isolated. Numerous similar incidents have been reported across the country-in cities such as Mombasa, Nakuru, Eldoret, Kakamega, and Kisumu-where job seekers, after parting with large sums, have either been swindled or are still waiting to be deployed overseas.

Lucy Muthoni, a customer service officer at a Nairobi-based Sacco, is among the many victims. Last year, the single mother paid Sh210,000 to NextGen Logistics-a recruitment agency that promised her a caregiving job in the UK. To afford it, she took a Sh350,000 loan from her employer and also paid Sh15,000 for medical tests.

NextGen Logistics claimed to operate in partnership with CCR Group, a global recruitment firm. However, after months without progress, Muthoni conducted her own investigations and discovered that CCR Group had no affiliation with NextGen.

CCR Group, in a statement, distanced itself from the Kenyan firm.

"We have received reports mentioning a company in Kenya called NextGen Logistics, allegedly operating as a recruitment agency and claiming to send workers to New Zealand through CCR Group. We want to clarify that CCR Group, CC recruitment and our affiliated companies have no connection with NextGen Logistics or any individuals sending out these fraudulent offers," said CCR Group in the statement.

Following this revelation, Muthoni demanded a refund. The agency's proprietor, David Wakogi, initially made promises, but eventually cut off communication. She is demanding a total of Sh225, 559 from him.

She reported the matter at Kikuyu Police Station where there are several similar complaints.

Gilbert Tallam, the officer handling the case, revealed that Muthoni's complaint is one among many.

"He (Wakogi) is giving us headache, but normally refunds in small amounts when pressed. Unfortunately, some victims are now not willing to come and follow up the cases, which were reported to different officers at the station and Central Police Station DCI offices," he said.

Muthoni was introduced to Wakogi by Consolata Mwangi, who admits to having referred eight to 10 job seekers to NextGen. She regrets being the link between the recruitment firm and job seekers.

"We have been calling him and the last time (three weeks ago) he said he is planning to sell land to refund the victims and asked for more time. I feel so bad that today I don't refer anyone because they keep calling me. We have pushed him to refund the victims because they are suffering," Mwangi said.

Several cases

According to Muthoni, those seeking a refund from Wakogi are about 50. They are allegedly owed Sh2.5 million. Some the victims include Paul Macharia who parted with Sh181,000, Teresia Thaithi Sh198,000, Agnes Muia Sh220,000, Christine Awino Sh148,000, Anne Wambui Sh520,000 and Maureen Kuria Sh261,000, Sharon Joy Sh238,000, Janet Githinji Sh260,000 and Loise Kimani Sh50,000.

Others are Erick Muchemi Sh150,000, Moses Kariuki Sh150,000, Hannah Maina Sh50,000, Betty Njoki Sh148,000, Janet Kerubo Sh200,000, Sherry Sh200,000, Josphat Karanja Sh50,000, Benson Mwaura Sh175,000, Ruth Kamene Sh220,000 and James Muiruri 160,000 and Kennedy Kariuki Sh75,000.

A DCI officer based at Kikuyu Police Station, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed multiple ongoing investigations involving Wakogi who has been arrested on numerous occasions.

"He has several cases, including one before Kibera Law Courts. He has also been charged with forging travel documents purporting that the persons who had to travel had attended some courses, which is not the case. We've arrested him numerous times."

An online search shows that Wakogi unsuccessfully ran for Member of County Assembly(MCA) seat for Kikuyu Ward in 2022. He is also known for environmental activism, particularly with Friends of Ondiri Wetlands (FOW), an initiative he founded.

In an earlier interview, Wakogi admitted owing job seekers money and claimed to be in the process of selling property to facilitate refunds.

"For Lucy's case, she insisted on a lumpsum refund, which together with others, I am working on selling a property to clear these refunds and she already got Sh60,000 out of Sh210,000. Some of the money was paid through Consolata and not me. I have even gone to the lawyer with some and committed through a promissory note to refund them," said Wakogi.

He attributed the failure of the UK jobs to a government audit triggered by fraudulent recruitment activities.

But three months later, most victims are still waiting.

Although accurate figures are not readily available thousands of Kenyans have been scammed in the overseas job-seeking process, with many left languishing in distress as they try to chase for refunds from rogue recruitment agencies who work in cahoots with unscrupulous government officials.

Many of them had sold their properties including land or borrowed money to pay recruitment agencies only to be duped.

REFUND MECHANISM

According to the National Employment Authority (NEA), four of the 595 recruitment agencies implicated in recent fraud cases were registered-highlighting the scale of fraud perpetrated by rogue, unregistered agencies.

NEA Director-General Edith Okoki said the agency has implemented a refund mechanism for botched job placements, but only for licensed agencies.

"When a job deal goes sour or is botched whether due to fraud or breach of contract, employment agencies should refund the applicants. NEA has adopted an internal refund mechanism to protect job seekers," she said.

According to Okoki, the process normally starts with formal launch of a complaint to the authority.

"We receive complaints via email or walk-ins and handle them through our Migrant Resource Centres in Nairobi, Mombasa, Machakos, Uasin Gishu, Kisumu, and Thika," she explained.

The second step, involves the authority establishing a migrant resource centre to handle complaints and arbitrate between job seekers and agencies.

"Trained teams at the resource centres then investigate the claims with proper documentation through emails, contracts, payment receipts as well as capturing any relevant evidence," said Okoki.

In a previous interview, Alfred Mutua, the Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Protection, told Spice FM that his ministry is partnering with DCI to investigate job scams.

"We have identified 153 individuals and companies operating without licences. We're drafting new regulations to ensure transparency in recruitment."

"I told Senate yesterday that am going to write new regulations that will guarantee that there is a time limit and a system that is predictable so that once you pay money, there are updates all the time, and the government is fully aware of what is happening," said Mutua.

However, Mutua warned that costs such as medical tests would not be reimbursed.

Many Kenyans who have fallen victim to rogue agencies and now chasing for refunds hope the government will step in and help them recover their money.

Despite growing concerns, the government continues to push its labour export agenda. In May, Mutua flagged off 60 Kenyans to Iraq at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre-even as the Senate investigates alleged scams tied to the government's "Kazi Majuu" program.

A report by the Senate Labour Committee revealed that more than 300 Kenyans paid between Sh15,000 and Sh55,000 for jobs in the Middle East last year but are still unemployed. Testimonies allege they were lured with offer letters but later asked to pay more for visas and certificates of good conduct.

While appearing before the same Committee on Labour, some applicants of the Kazi Majuu initiative narrated how they were initially asked to pay Sh15,000 for medical checks.

Weeks later, they were summoned to collect offer letters but were instead asked to pay an additional Sh40,000 to facilitate visa processing and secure certificates of good conduct.

"Mutua announced the jobs at KICC. After interviews, successful applicants left their passports. Later, we were called back and asked to pay Sh20,000 for the medical check-up. My aunt paid the money, but to date, we have not received any refund," Calvin Nyamweya who sought employment in Qatar, told the committee.