By Mandere Onyinkwa
The National Employment Authority has issued a public warning against a private recruitment agency operating under the name M-Ajira, saying the firm is not registered to recruit or place Kenyans in jobs abroad.
In a notice signed by Director General Mrs. Edith Okoki, the authority cautioned jobseekers and members of the public against engaging with the agency, which it said has failed to comply with the legal framework governing labour recruitment and placement.
According to the notice, M-Ajira is not registered by the National Employment Authority (NEA) as required under the Labour Institutions Act, 2007.
The warning comes amid growing concerns over recruitment scams targeting desperate jobseekers seeking opportunities overseas.
Many Kenyans are feared to have already lost thousands of shillings through payments made to questionable agencies promising lucrative jobs abroad, only for the opportunities to fail to materialise.
The latest caution by the authority is likely to raise fresh questions about whether regulatory intervention came too late for some victims who may already have been duped.
NEA urged jobseekers and prospective migrant workers to verify the registration status of recruitment agencies before engaging with them.
The authority said the list of licensed agencies is available on its website.
Members of the public were also encouraged to report suspected recruitment malpractices to the Director General of the National Employment Authority through email at info@nea.go.ke or via telephone on +254 (020) 8610000.
The authority further advised Kenyans to exercise caution and confirm the authenticity of agencies before making any payments or signing recruitment agreements.
