…The agents promised various jobs, including security, cashier, and housekeeping, which was especially appealing since there were no jobs available locally. Unfortunately, Jepkirui was among the many victims of the Qatar jobs scam that conned hundreds of Uasin Gishu parents and youths out of millions of shillings.

On Thursday, at a meeting with the Senate Committee on Labour at the county assembly, victims shared their stories of how they were promised employment at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, only to be scammed out of their hard-earned money. The director of the recruitment agency involved in the scam, Judy Jepchirchir, did not attend the meeting…Many had sold their homes and belongings or taken out loans to pay the fees required for the promised job opportunities abroad.

When the jobs failed to materialize, some were left destitute…

The victims have appealed to President William Ruto to intervene and help them out of their predicament. Similarly, Eliud Kipsang, who lives in Lower Sossiani, Turbo, and is also a victim of the suspected 'First choice' recruitment agency scam, revealed that his parents had to sell their assets to secure the opportunity. He lamented that leaders are shielding the recruitment agency officials responsible for the scam.