Eldoret town has increasingly become a hotspot for overseas job scams, with desperate job seekers losing millions of shillings to individuals posing as licensed agents promising employment in countries such as Turkey, New Zealand and the Middle East.
One of the most recent cases involves Lenah Jelagat Too, a businesswoman charged in an Eldoret court for allegedly defrauding victims of over Ksh13 million through fake overseas job placements. Prosecutors say Too collected fees ranging from Ksh 300,000 to Ksh 3.8 million from individuals, including Risper Jepkosgei and Weasley Kiprono Ngeny, by falsely promising well-paying roles in healthcare, caregiving, security, and hospitality. She was granted a Ksh 1 million bond while indicating plans to begin refunding victims.
In a parallel case, Joseph Kipkoech Keino, a recruitment agent accused of conning job seekers out of approximately Ksh12 million, has since disappeared and failed to appear in court. Keino allegedly took money from multiple victims, promised travel documents and visas, then went silent. His continued absence has heightened fears that many victims may never recover their savings, while authorities continue efforts to trace him.
Earlier, another Eldoret woman was charged over a Turkey jobs scam, where victims paid between Ksh150,000 and Ksh300,000 for supposed factory and caregiving jobs abroad, only to discover the offers were fake.
These cases reveal a disturbing pattern: fake offices, forged contracts, upfront payments, and recruiters exploiting unemployment and the dream of working abroad. Many victims sell land, take loans, or exhaust family savings, only to be left with no jobs and no refunds.
As investigations continue, authorities urge job seekers to verify agencies with the National Employment Authority (NEA), avoid paying large upfront fees, and report suspicious recruiters to the DCI. The Eldoret recruitment scam crisis serves as a stark warning that overseas job fraud remains a growing and dangerous threat.
