Judy Chepchirchir, the director of First Choice Recruitment and Consultancy Agency, has been making headlines after being accused of orchestrating a massive fake job scam, conning over 8,000 Kenyans out of more than Sh 1 billion.
The scandal, which has caused outrage in Uasin Gishu and Nandi Counties, promised job placements in Qatar, especially during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but left many hopeful applicants stranded without employment.
On Thursday, during a hearing before the Senate Labour and Social Welfare Committee, the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) Director, Ms. Alice Mate, provided shocking details about how Chepchirchir allegedly used the fraudulent proceeds to acquire multiple properties in various regions, including Nairobi, Machakos, and Eldoret.
Ms. Mate explained that Chepchirchir and her accomplices cleverly registered the multi-million properties under the names of proxies to conceal their true ownership and to evade scrutiny.
The investigation has linked four high-value properties to one of the key suspects, spread across the cities of Nairobi, Eldoret, and Machakos.
In addition, a caveat has been lodged by authorities to prevent the sale or transfer of 21 motor vehicles that are registered under the names of the suspects.
“We are still investigating, and at this point, we cannot reveal the names of the individuals involved in owning these properties as it may jeopardize our ongoing inquiries,” said Mr. Timothy Nderitu, the Deputy Director at ARA.
He emphasized that the agency is working to ensure a comprehensive investigation that will allow them to go to court and legally preserve the assets linked to the suspects.
Chepchirchir, aged 36, has denied the allegations and claims she is the victim of a political witch hunt.
She accused certain politicians from the Rift Valley region of targeting her due to business rivalry, suggesting that her current tribulations are politically motivated.
In an earlier interview, she explained that her agency failed to send the full batch of applicants to Qatar as promised.
The youths, who were seeking short-term employment during the 2022 World Cup, had each paid Sh 10,000 as a non-refundable medical and registration fee, along with Sh 30,000 as a service charge.
Chepchirchir claimed that while her agency managed to deploy 827 individuals to Qatar, she could not provide evidence of this.
She further stated that the remaining 1,184 applicants did not make it to Qatar due to logistical challenges, including a sudden influx of applicants, which caused delays in securing documentation and processing.
Some applicants also did not meet the necessary requirements for the job.
