A Kenyan man is counting his losses after falling victim to a fraudulent recruitment agency that promised him a job opportunity in Qatar, exposing yet another case in the growing wave of job placement scams affecting desperate job seekers.
The victim, who requested anonymity, told [News Outlet] that he paid Ksh 120,000 to Amerzone C International Agency, which operates from Uniafric House along Koinange Street in Nairobi.
The agency allegedly assured him of swift job placement abroad. However, after full payment was made, the agency became increasingly evasive.
“I was in contact with a lady named Mercy Myra who promised everything was legitimate and I’d be travelling in a few weeks. But after the payment, communication broke down.
They stopped picking my calls and kept pushing the travel date. Eventually, they disappeared altogether,” the victim recounted in a written appeal for help.
Attempts to reach the agency at their Nairobi office proved futile, with repeated claims that Mercy was “not available.”
The man, who borrowed from friends and family to raise the funds, said he was left devastated by the betrayal.
This incident is part of a broader pattern, as scores of Kenyans continue to fall prey to bogus agencies offering overseas employment in countries such as Qatar, Iraq, and the UAE.
Victims report being charged large sums for visas, medical exams, and travel documents—only to be abandoned after payment.
The growing concern has prompted a Senate investigation into the Kazi Majuu initiative, a government-supported program meant to facilitate overseas employment.
The Senate Labour Committee, chaired by Kajiado Senator Lenku Seki, is probing reports that over 300 Kenyans were duped by agencies allegedly approved by the National Employment Authority (NEA).
Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua and NEA officials have been summoned to explain how these recruitment agencies were allowed to operate unchecked.
As victims seek justice and refunds, advocacy groups are calling for stricter regulation and enforcement in the recruitment sector to protect vulnerable job seekers from exploitation.
