Controversial Pastor James Wanjohi has been interrogated by police over allegations that he obtained Sh600 million from gullible Kenyans in a fake jobs scam.
Mr Wanjohi was quizzed by detectives at the Nairobi regional police headquarters on Monday following complaints by victims who reportedly paid money to his employment agency, WorthStart Africa.
The clergyman was accompanied by his lawyer, Ndegwa Njiru, while the interrrogation was led by Nairobi regional Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss Peter Njeru, and a senior detective, Anthony Kapario.
Mr Wanjohi surrendered in compliance with a court order. He was handcuffed on arrival at the station. The Nation has learnt that Mr Wanjohi denied the accusations, saying, payments made to WorthStart Africa were to facilitate visa applications.
But investigators reportedly pressed him on why the company advertised opportunities for jobs in Europe and the US.
More than 4,000 job seekers reportedly paid fees ranging between Sh120,000 and Sh140,000 each to WorthStart Africa, whose offices are in Nairobi’s Pension Tower, for social care and hospitality jobs in Canada, the UK, the US and Australia.
It turned out to be a scam.
Some, instead, received five-year visa bans from the Canadian embassy for falsified applications. The Nation broke the story on April 23 and, on April 26, the DCI placed Mr Wanjohi and directors of another firm on a no-fly watch.
On April 26, Mr Wanjohi obtained an anticipatory bail from the High Court barring the police and the Director of Public Prosecutions from arresting or detaining him until further orders from the court. However, Justice D Kavedza directed Mr Wanjohi’s lawyers to escort him to the DCI for questioning within seven days.
Since the police announced that Mr Wanjohi, who is linked to Jesus Culture Ministries, was a wanted man, he had launched a social media campaign to clear his name by posting testimonials of people who have purportedly benefited from his company.
Detectives investigating WorthStart Africa and its affiliates explained how the scheme unfolded in three steps. The first was advertising in the mainstream media about job openings in Europe.
When one visited their offices, they were required to pay between Sh100,000 and Sh140,000.
Rather than an employment contract, one was issued with a visa facilitation contract. The Canadian visa fee ranges between Sh15,000 and Sh20,000.
The second was deliberate poor documentation and cooked financial statements during visa application on behalf of job seekers, which saw the applications and candidates issued with visa bans of five years.
Thirdly, Mr Wanjohi registered different companies under WorthStart Africa — WorthStart Travel Agency and WorthStart Barista Technical Institute — where applicants would later be taken round in circles under the guise that their contracts were erroneous as they fell under the wrong company.
Among the victims is Ms Ereneta Njeri, who said she paid WorthStart Africa Sh125,000 on the promise that the firm would help her secure a caregiver job in Canada.
The Canadian embassy slapped her with a five-year visa ban over financial inconsistencies in her documentation.
“You have been found inadmissible to Canada in accordance with paragraph 40(1)(a)of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) for directly or indirectly misrepresenting or withholding material facts relating to a relevant matter that induces or could induce an error in the administration of the IRPA,” says a letter addressed to Ms Njeri from the Government of Canada dated January 8, and which the Nation has seen.
“In accordance with paragraph A40(2)(a), you will remain inadmissible to Canada for a period of five years from the date of this letter or from the date a previous removal order was enforced,’’ the letter goes on to say.
The National Employment Authority, the body that accredits employment agencies in Kenya, told Nation WorthStart Africa and WorthStart Travel Agency are not accredited by the government to recruit or transact.
