NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 7 – The Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) is currently investigating 27 accounts that are linked to the key suspects in First Choice Recruitment and Consultancy Agency Limited.
The agency is probing these accounts for possible financial misconduct, including money laundering and fraud.
First Choice Recruitment has been under scrutiny for allegedly defrauding job seekers through false promises of overseas employment, including countries such as Qatar.
The ARA aims to trace and recover any illicit funds as part of the wider investigation into the recruitment agency’s operations.
“Twenty-seven (27) bank accounts belonging to the key suspects are being analyzed to trace the money-flow since majority of the accounts have zero balances while the rest have negligible balances despite the accounts having transacted huge sums of money during the period of interest to our investigations,” ARA said in response to a petition by Kimutai Kirui and other residents of the Uasin Gishu County to the Senate Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare.
Last year, the Senate Committee ordered the agency to refund Sh1 billion allegedly paid by thousands in Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Nakuru, and Elgeyo Marakwet Counties who were promised job opportunities abroad.
However, Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei later said that the First Choice Recruitment directors Judy Jepchirchir and Faith Wariga had yet to refund the victims as of January this year.
The ARA investigation also found that Sh300 million was withdrawn in cash between February 19, 2020, and May 11, 2023, falling below the reporting threshold and raising suspicion on money laundering as defined under sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Proceed of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2009.
“Four properties linked to one of the suspects spread across Nairobi, Eldoret, and Machakos Counties have already been identified and efforts are ongoing to trace them and establish more properties including for other suspects despite the fact that majority of them are clothed under the guise of third parties,” the ARA response shows.
“The Agency has obtained a list of one thousand two hundred (1,200) victims who were defrauded and has managed to reach out to several of them who provided receipts issued to them after making their payments. Unfortunately, majority of the receipts do not bear the company’s letter head or the official stamp.”
Already, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection revealed that 25 recruitment agencies were either deregistered or denied registration following concerns from the public.
They included Gulfway Recruitment Company Ltd, Royal Capital Placement Ltd, Geoverah Agency Ltd, Geoverah Africa Safaris Ltd, First Choice Recruitment and Consultancy Ltd, Daawo Holdings Ltd, and Makungu International Ltd.
