The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has issued a fresh warning over rising cases of job recruitment scams targeting unsuspecting job seekers.
In a statement on Tuesday, January 20, the authority said it had observed a worrying increase in fraudulent schemes involving individuals who claim they can secure jobs at KPA.
"The Kenya Ports Authority has noted with concern increased cases of unscrupulous individuals targeting unsuspecting members of the public purportedly to secure them employment with Kenya Ports Authority,' the statement read.
KPA explained that the fraudsters use deception by pretending to be legitimate officials or intermediaries connected to the authority.
"The fraudsters are either impersonating KPA management and staff or masquerading as agents/brokers, thus deceiving members of the public to make payments in exchange for job placement," the statement added.
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KPA reaffirmed that its recruitment process is governed by strict principles of fairness and merit, leaving no room for bribery or external influence.
"The Authority, therefore, wishes to categorically reiterate that it is an equal opportunity employer that upholds fairness, transparency, professionalism and we have a merit-based and structured recruitment process," the statement continued.
KPA further warned job seekers not to share personal information or send money to anyone claiming to offer employment on its behalf, noting that it will not take responsibility for losses incurred through such scams.
"Further, it is important to note that the Authority does not solicit nor accept any form of payment from individuals seeking employment. Members of the public are therefore advised to refrain from sharing personal information or making any payments to the fraudsters. KPA will not be liable for any losses resulting from these scams," the statement concluded.
The public has been advised to report any suspected fraudulent recruitment activity to the nearest police station.
Elsewhere, this comes a week after the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) issued a warning over a surge in fraudulent text messages targeting job seekers following the authority’s recent advertisement of vacant positions.
In a notice on Wednesday, January 14, KeRRA said it has received multiple complaints from stakeholders who have been contacted through suspicious SMS messages after the job vacancies were advertised.
"The Authority has received numerous reports of fraudulent text messages being sent to stakeholders following the recently advertised job vacancies," the notice read.
KeRRA clarified that it does not conduct aptitude tests through unsolicited messages, does not ask for any form of payment from applicants, and only communicates through official channels.
The authority noted that any message requesting personal details, payments, or directing applicants to external links should be disregarded.
"Please note these messages are false and scamming in nature; do not fill out any aptitude test purporting to be from KeRRA; KeRRA does not require any payment at any stage of the recruitment process; and official communication from KeRRA is only issued through our formally communicated official channels," the notice added.
KeRRA also urged the public to avoid clicking on any links associated with the fraudulent messages and confirmed that action has already been taken to address the issue.
"We urge the public to ignore any links claiming to be from KeRRA. The Authority has reported the contacts circulating this false information," the notice further read.
