Man who ‘swindled’ jobseekers of Sh1.3m to be held for five days
Some of the youth who claimed they were duped by an Eldoret based recruitment agency over Qatar World Cup jobs camping outside the County Commissioner's office in Eldoret town on September 14, 2022. The youth engaged the Deputy County Commissioner Mohammed Mwabudzo over the matter.
A man who allegedly defrauded jobseekers of millions of shillings with the promise of work in the Middle East will be held for another five days.
Investigator Joseph Lagat from the Langas Police Station had told Eldoret Senior Principal Magistrate Richard Odenyo that he needed more time before he could charge the suspect.
Amos Korir was arrested on September 24 following a complaint filed at the Kapseret police post.
He is suspected of obtaining Sh1.3 million by pretending that he could find work for the victims under his recruitment agency, Korir Overseas placement agency.
Money transactions
Mr Lagat told the court that he needed to obtain M-Pesa statements and records of bank transactions.
He said the suspect switched off his mobile phone as soon as the case was reported at the station and was a flight risk if released.
He also said the suspect did not have a fixed home.
“The suspect is a flight risk. If given bond terms, he might abscond [from] court. At the time of his arrest, he had switched off his mobile phone hence it was difficult to track him,” Mr Lagat said in a sworn affidavit.
The accused did not object to the request to detain him for five days.
The court directed police to detain the suspect at the Langas Police Station.
The case will be mentioned on October 3.
A similar matter is under police investigation, where another Eldoret based recruitment agency is under scrutiny after more than 200 youths in Uasin Gishu County accused it of promising them World Cup jobs in Qatar that did not allegedly materialise.
The agitated youths stormed the county commissioner’s office in Eldoret earlier this month, waving twigs and asking relevant State agencies to help them get back their hard-earned money.
They claimed the agency- First Choice Recruitment and Consultancy collected money from them with the promise of placing them in World Cup-related jobs in the Gulf country. They accused the firm of holding their documents, including passports and academic certificates.
The positions promised included receptionists, cashiers and cleaners in Qatar and other countries. The complainants claimed they parted with a lump sum of between Sh40,000 to Sh200,000.
Police took up the complaints for investigation, although the agency denied the claims.
People who lost money recorded statements with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
