How a Job Seeker Lost Ksh110,000 in Fake Qatar Recruitment Scam

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Headquarters’ Serious Crime Unit arrested George Waweru Ngendo over allegations of obtaining money by false pretences through a purported overseas job recruitment scheme. 

In a statement on Friday, July 24, DCI said Ngendo, who is a director of Geovany Agencies Limited, was arrested following investigations into a complaint by a job seeker who allegedly lost Ksh110,000 after being promised a lucrative employment opportunity in Qatar.

The DCI said the company was suspected of operating as a fraudulent recruitment agency.

"Waweru, a director of Geovany Agencies Limited, a company suspected of operating as a fraudulent recruitment agency, was arrested following investigations into a complaint by a victim who allegedly lost Sh110,000 after being lured with promises of a lucrative job opportunity in Qatar," the statement read. 

According to detectives, the promised job opportunity was allegedly used to obtain money through false representations.

The investigations were completed before the case file was forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for review.

"Investigations established that the promised employment opportunity was allegedly used as a means of obtaining money through false representations. Upon completion of investigations, the case file was forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), which approved charges against the suspect," the statement added.

The suspect is expected to be arraigned before the Milimani Law Courts on Monday, July 27.

The DCI cautioned members of the public against making payments to recruitment agencies without first verifying their legitimacy and licensing status.

"The DCI cautions members of the public to verify the legitimacy of recruitment agencies before making any payments for overseas jobs. 

"Always confirm that an agency is duly registered and licensed by the relevant government authorities before committing your hard-earned money," the statement concluded.

This comes a day after the National Employment Authority (NEA) released a step-by-step guide to help job seekers verify whether recruitment agencies are legally registered before engaging with them.

In a notice on Thursday, July 23, the authority encouraged job seekers to use the National Employment Authority Integrated Management System (NEAIMS) to confirm the legitimacy and licensing status of recruitment agencies.

According to the guide, users should first visit the NEAIMS website and navigate to the Recruitment Agencies section on the homepage. 

From the drop-down menu, they should select Verify Employment Agency.

On the verification page, users are advised to ensure the Registered tab is selected before entering the name of the recruitment agency in the search bar.

If the agency appears on the list of registered recruitment agencies, applicants can proceed to review its status.

NEA explained that a legitimate agency should appear on the registered list, have a valid licence, and be verified by the relevant authorities. 

Agencies meeting these requirements are considered safe for engagement.

However, if the search indicates that an agency’s licence is invalid, expired, or that it has not been verified by the relevant authorities, job seekers are advised not to engage with the agency.