Cabinet Secretary (CS) nominee for the Ministry of Labour Alfred Mutua has issued clarification over his involvement in the First-Choice scholarship scandal.
Speaking before the National Assembly Committee on Appointments on Sunday, August 4, Mutua distanced himself from reports that he knew the owner of the recruitment agency Judy Jepchirchir.
The recruitment agency was accused of scamming over 7,000 youth in Uasin Gishu County of Ksh1 billion by promising them World Cup jobs in Qatar that never materialized.
Judy Jepchirchir had earlier been pictured with Mutua as she presented her business idea to the president during an event.
However, the nominated CS has indicated that she did not know Judith and only met her at the event which was held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC).
“When it comes to the issue of a lady called Judith, I remember we had a function at KICC where we had different stands. The stand of foreign affairs and diaspora was next to that of the Ministry of labor.
“And I had never met this lady before in my life, but she was the one who was showcasing the program that the ministry of labor had. When the president came, we were told to combine the two issues of labor with diaspora,” he said.
Also Read: Another Scandal in Eldoret as ‘Investor’ Vanishes with Over Ksh1 Billion
Mutua Explains Action he Took Over the Scam
Additionally, Mutua has said that he did not even know the name of the woman during introductions, reiteration that he had no prior knowledge of who the woman was.
Further, he said that he only got news of who the owner of First Choice was later on through the media.
Moreover, he has indicated that he called a meeting, while still the tourism CS, to discuss the matter and come up with solutions to prevent the reoccurrence of any such incidences.
“So, I was introducing the president to the people who were presenting and if you watch the clip, I did not even know her name. She said her name herself. I have never met her again after that.
“I saw her stories later and those are things that I had called a meeting to discuss this issue of rogue employment agencies when I was the minister then,” added Mutua.
Also Read: Foreigner Among Suspects Arrested in Foreign Jobs Scam Targeting 1,000 Kenyans
First Choice Scandal
In September 2022, angry youth stormed the County Commissioner’s office in Eldoret asking for help from relevant State agencies to regain their hard-earned money from First Choice.
They also appeared before the Senate Labour and Social Welfare Committee in 2023 to narrate their experience with the recruitment agency.
However, the owner of the company explained she started the business in 2018, recruiting over 7,000 people in Qatar, Dubai, Poland, and the UK.
Additionally, she said the applicants on a short-term contract paid a Ksh10,000 medical fee (non-refundable) and a Ksh30,000 service charge.
From the remaining number, 600 people changed their contract to a two-year term of between Ksh50,000 to Ksh150,000. Jepchirchir noted another 106 applicants gave out their chances to their relatives, claiming to have refunded 448 individuals.
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