Labour Cabinet Secretary (CS) Alfred Mutua is a man under siege after the much-hyped program flopped miserably and plunged hundreds of youths into debts and a state of confusion. The Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare has now summoned that CS over recruitment under the Diaspora Jobs Programme, a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and the National Employment Authority (NEA).
On Monday April 28, 2025, the Committee, chaired by Kajiado Senator Seki Lenku Ole Kanar, heard testimony from Kenyans who said they had been promised employment in the Gulf, only to find themselves stranded, in debt and with little recourse.
The Committee recalled the Initiative’s recruitment in December 2024 at Kabete National Polytechnic and the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
It noted that hundreds of job seekers had gathered, hoping to secure life-changing opportunities abroad, but just months later, those dreams had crumbled into despair.
Lenku said the Committee will investigate the matter and ensure justice is served.
He stated that the Mutua and officials will appear before the Committee as investigations progress.
“This Committee will pursue this matter to its logical conclusion. We will not rest until justice is served,” he said, announcing that the Committee will meet with CS Ministry of Labour and NEA leadership later this week as the inquiry gathers momentum,” he said.
The session was part of an inquiry triggered by a Statement Request by Senator Gloria Orwoba earlier this month, which exposed the troubling experiences of many candidates selected at Kabete Polytechnic.
How Kenyans Were Scammed
The victims’ accounts bore striking similarities.
John Mwangi, a scaffolder from Kiambu County and Calvin Nyamweya, a casual labourer from Kisii County, were among those who narrated how, after interviews, they were informed of their successful applications and instructed to pay Ksh15,000 for medical examinations.
Candidates were also required to surrender their passports to agents operating on-site.
Within days of the successful interview, Godfrey Githae, a carpenter from Nyeri County, was contacted and directed to Room 109 at KICC to sign an Offer Letter.
However, he says those like him who signed were not given copies of the documents, and it was there that payment demands were made.
“Unlike others, I had not been requested to pay any fees at Kabete,” said Githae, who had secured a carpenter position in Iraq.
“But when I went to KICC, I was told to pay a total of Ksh55,000. The Ksh15,000 was for medicals, which I borrowed from my wife, and the additional Ksh40,000, borrowed from my aunt-in-law, was supposedly for visa and attestation, among other expenses.”
Some, like Fredrick Keene, who paid in cash, were never contacted again.
Additionally, the Committee said others paid through official-sounding channels: the initial Ksh15,000 often via a Safaricom Paybill registered to Monisa Company Ltd, and sums of Ksh40,000 via bank deposits to Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB).
Also Read: Mutua’s Ministry Asked to Refund Ksh15,000 Each to Frustrated Jobseekers
Why Pay for Govt Programme?
Orwoba pressed witnesses for clarity on the modes of payment, seeking to piece together how funds were collected under the guise of a government-supported programme.
Her concerns were echoed by Sen Miraj Abdullahi, who sharply questioned why any payments were demanded at all.
“This was a government programme. Why were Kenyans asked to pay such fees?” she asked.
She recalled a damning Senate report on First Choice Recruitment that recommended disbanding NEA, lamenting, “It is unfortunate that the recommendations of our report calling for the disbandment of the agency have not been implemented, exposing Kenyans to these challenges.”
Mutua Unaware of the Claims
Besides, Orwoba disclosed that her efforts to seek justice for the victims have led to significant pushbacks.
She said eight companies have now come together to sue her for defamation.
Further, Orwoba revealed that Mutua had sworn an affidavit stating he was unaware of any Kenyans having been swindled and that those who had made payments to agencies had allegedly received refunds.
However, these claims stood in stark contrast to the testimony heard by the Committee.
Also Read: Govt to Offer Ksh300,000 Loans to Broke Kenyans Who Secure Jobs Abroad
While some victims, particularly from Bobasi Constituency, reported receiving partial refunds of Ksh10,000, this appeared to be the exception rather than the rule.
Orwoba recounted her intervention after learning that some recruits from Bobasi had found job adverts through her office’s partnership with NEA.
“When their money was taken and nothing was moving, I called the Director General of NEA and the CS Alfred Mutua to intervene,” she explained.
Commitee to Track Payments
According to the testimonies, refunds were being made not through Monisa Company Ltd, where the initial payments were directed, but via MPESA transfers from an individual named Ikusya Kaloki.
Embu Senator Alexander Mundigi called for a detailed tracing of the money trail, demanding names and phone numbers and that they be held accountable.
“We must follow the money. We need to know exactly who is refunding, why it’s not the original Paybill and where the funds have gone,” Mundigi insisted.
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