Source: UGC
Alfred Mutua, who has been nominated as Kenya's Labour Cabinet Secretary, has recently addressed the allegations that link him to Judy Jepchirchir, a woman accused of defrauding job seekers from Eldoret.
Jepchirchir, the head of the First Choice Recruitment agency, is at the center of a major controversy involving a job scam.
Mutua spoke out during his appearance before the Committee on Appointments on August 4, 2024. He made it clear that he does not have a personal relationship with Jepchirchir and does not know her beyond a single, brief encounter.
According to Mutua, he met Jepchirchir only once at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) while he was serving as the Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary.
Mutua explained that the meeting was arranged because Jepchirchir’s work seemed to align with the goals of the Labour ministry, which focuses on job creation.
During this encounter, Mutua introduced Jepchirchir to President William Ruto. Despite this introduction, Mutua emphasized that he has no personal or professional ties to Jepchirchir beyond this meeting.
He stated that he has not interacted with her since and only learned about the issues with her agency through media reports.
The First Choice Recruitment agency, led by Jepchirchir, has been under the spotlight since 2023. The agency has faced serious accusations of scamming job seekers from Eldoret.
Many of these job seekers took to the streets in protest, demanding refunds after the agency failed to deliver the promised jobs in Qatar.
The controversy gained significant attention as reports revealed that the agency collected over KSh 400 million from approximately 10,000 applicants. Each applicant was charged a KSh 10,000 non-refundable medical fee and a KSh 30,000 service charge.
Many of these applicants are now seeking refunds after the agency did not provide the jobs they had been promised.
Jepchirchir admitted that the agency did not fulfill its commitment to send people to work in Qatar. She explained that some applicants changed their contracts, and others are still awaiting refunds.
The situation has caused frustration and disappointment among many young people who had hoped for employment opportunities abroad.
Mutua’s response aimed to address and dispel the rumors linking him to Jepchirchir’s alleged fraudulent activities.
He underscored that his only involvement was a brief introduction at the KICC, which was done because Jepchirchir’s work seemed relevant to the Labour ministry’s objectives.
Mutua also stressed that he has not been involved in any way with the ongoing issues related to the First Choice Recruitment agency.
The scandal surrounding the First Choice Recruitment agency has raised serious concerns about the effectiveness and regulation of job placement services in Kenya.
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