NAIROBI, Kenya — The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection has flagged a fraudulent overseas recruitment scheme involving three Kenyan job seekers allegedly scheduled to travel to Oman, citing forged government documents, fake work visas, and the use of an unlicensed recruitment network.
In an investigation report released on 30 January 2026, Labour Cabinet Secretary Dr. Alfred N. Mutua said the recruitment of Jeneffer, Matilda, and Caroline was illegal and posed a high risk of exploitation.
“The recruitment process is fraudulent and relies on forged Ministry of Labour clearances and unauthorised ticketing agents to bypass legal migration protocols,” Dr. Mutua said.
According to the report, the three job seekers were recruited through an informal network, rather than a registered Kenyan recruitment agency as required under law. The primary local contact, reachable via a Kenyan mobile number and identified through caller identification services as Elijah’s Ticketing Tours, admitted to lacking a recruitment licence and claimed to be facilitating “direct hires” limited to ticketing and reservations.
The report further named a foreign recruiter identified as Mr. Mohamed, allegedly based in Oman, and an alleged government liaison identified as “Mr. Raphael” at the Ministry of Labour, said to be responsible for labour clearance and contract attestation.
However, investigations by the Ministry’s Attestation Department found that no officer by that name exists within the department, confirming identity impersonation.
The ministry also established that the official stamps appearing on the recruitment documents were forged and did not originate from the Ministry of Labour. In addition, checks conducted on the Oman e-Visa Portal returned no records of valid work visas for the three individuals.
Dr. Mutua said the absence of a registered local recruitment agency removed critical safeguards, exposing the job seekers to deception, trafficking, and labour exploitation abroad.
“The lack of oversight significantly increased the risk to the job seekers involved,” he said.
The Cabinet Secretary directed individuals behind the scheme to surrender to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), warning that summons would otherwise be issued to trace and arrest those responsible.
The case comes amid heightened scrutiny of labour migration programmes, including the government-backed Kazi Majuu initiative, which has seen rising interest from Kenyans seeking employment abroad.
Dr. Mutua urged job seekers to conduct due diligence before engaging recruiters and advised the public to verify agencies through the National Employment Authority Integrated Management System (NEAIMS) or directly with the National Employment Authority.
“Before engaging anyone on Kazi Majuu, please undertake basic research and verification,” he said.
The ministry has repeatedly warned that only licensed recruitment agencies are authorised to process overseas employment and that all labour contracts must be officially verified and attested to prevent fraud and exploitation.
