Victims of the Vintmark Travel Agency job scam gather at Jevanjee Gardens in Nairobi on September 25, 2024.
'I cannot go to my village in Makueni until after two years. The shame is too much. My family and close friends fundraised Sh240,000 hoping that I would secure a caregiver’s job in Canada and help my struggling family. Instead, I was scammed and slapped with a visa ban for five years after my agent faked my application documents and they were flagged by the embassy,’’ *Janet Mwendwa told Nation in an interview last month.
She spoke in a low tone, with the desperation of a person whose hopes for a better future had been crushed. Then she inquired about her fellow job seekers who had also fallen for the false job promises in Europe and the United States.
''Have the rest of my friends been refunded their money?” Asked Ms Mwendwa, not her real name.
She pleaded that we do not mention her real name because of the shame and guilt that she is facing.
Ms Mwendwa was referring to a WhatsApp group of victims of job fraud that the Nation exposed during an investigation last year. The report uncovered how well-connected smooth talkers aided by social media influencers, cooked up testimonials and enticing advertisements in vernacular radio stations minted billions from unsuspecting job seekers. Hundreds of victims who were defrauded reported the matter to the police.
When informed that the WhatsApp group for the victims had since been closed down, those who scammed them had shut their offices and investigating officers who were probing the cases transferred, Ms Mwendwa let out a sigh of resignation.
Ms Mwendwa said that she now works in a cybercafe in Nairobi.
She said that she had been forced to change her mobile phone number out of fear that the people who raised money for her back in the village might call her and think that she scammed them of their money by pretending she was travelling abroad for greener pastures.
Ms Mwendwa is among thousands of vulnerable job seekers who cumulatively lost over Sh2.5 billion to suspect job recruitment agencies that promised them better lives abroad but left them in misery.
In September last year, Mr Ceaser Kingori of Vintmark Travel Agency Limited made headlines after his company was accused of defrauding thousands of job seekers Sh720 million.
Ceaser Kingori, director Vintmark Travel Agency Ltd.
After the Nation expose, his company was deregistered by the National Employment Authority, the industry regulator, and his licence revoked.
The complaints against Mr King’ori coincided with a high-level Kenyan delegation to German to sign job deals.
And although Mr King’ori was not officially part of the Kenyan delegation that included President William Ruto, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and ODM leader Raila Odinga, he made the trip and even marketed his recruitment agency.
While at it, Mr King’ori posed for a photo with then Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua on the sidelines of the meeting.
On arrival from Germany, Mr Kingori posted messages on social media platforms inviting job seekers to sign up for the job openings.
CS Mutua denied knowing Mr Kingori personally. He said that officials of recruitment agencies were not part of the official government delegation, noting that they made their own individual arrangements.
Apart from Vintmark Travel Agency, other firms that victims of fraud complained about were; WorthStart Africa, WorthStart Travel Agency and WorthStart Barista Technical Institute owned by pastor James Wanjohi.
Pastor James Wanjohi of Jesus Culture Ministries in Roysambu, Nairobi County. The pastor is also the founder Worthstart Africa, a recruitment agency.
Reports were also made to the police against Amble Beginning Consult and Frac and Calp Limited owned by Alphonse Kioki and Trevaron Travel & Tours Ltd owned by Hannah Kaniu.
Collectively, these firms were accused of defrauding Kenyans of over Sh2.5 billion over five years. The firms were under investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
At the time, senior police officers probing the cases expressed frustration about dealing with Mr Kingori.
''It has reached a point now that Mr Kingori has become elusive. When he was summoned by one of the investigative officers to record more statements, he responded that he was in Germany and went ahead to share his photo with then Labour Cabinet secretary,” Mr Njeru Nthigah, the then Nairobi Regional Criminal Investigations officer told Nation in an interview last September.
Transferred
Mr Nthigah, who was the lead investigator in the cases, was transferred the following month. He was moved together with a team of detectives that he had set up to deal with the cases. The investigation reports had been forwarded to the office of Director of Public Prosecutions recommending the prosecution of the fraud suspects.
Detectives who were investigating the companies owned by Mr Wanjohi, Mr Kioko, Mr Kingori and Ms Kaniu were transferred to remote areas in what insiders said was designed to have the files recalled from the Office of Director of Public Prosecution for review.
Last week, a senior detective told Nation the files have since been recalled for fresh investigations.
When Nation sent follow-up questions to the DPP’s office on the status of the files, there was no response.
DCI boss Mohammed Amin, too, never responded to Nation calls and texts on the status of investigations.
Mr Kingori, Mr Wanjohi and Ms Kaniu have since all closed their offices. Mr Kioko recently rebranded into a “travel consultant”. He told Nation that he is not recruiting directly but is now working as a consultant.
Pastor James Wanjohi of Jesus Culture Ministries in Roysambu, Nairobi County. The pastor is also the founder Worthstart Africa, a recruitment agency.
''Whatever you wrote about me had a big impact and I am not recruiting for jobs anymore. But I am now more of a consultant on travel and you can pass by my office in Upper Hill, Nairobi,’’ Mr Kioko told Nation last December.
