By Our Reporter
Chaos erupted in Eldoret after more than 200 irate job seekers stormed the offices of a recruitment firm, demanding refunds totalling over KSh300 million. The group alleges they were duped into paying for non-existent job opportunities in Canada.
The victims, including former public and private sector employees, recent university graduates, and desperate parents. have accused Noble Global Services Consultants of orchestrating a sophisticated scam that has left many destitute and emotionally devastated.
Tensions flared outside the firm’s now-abandoned premises as the defrauded crowd discovered that the company’s director, Gilbert Serem, had allegedly shuttered operations and fled the country. Reports suggest Serem dismissed his entire staff and escaped to Australia upon learning of the planned protest.
“I paid KSh750,000 after Gilbert, who is my cousin, promised to secure me a lucrative accountancy job in Canada,” said Julius Misoi, who resigned from a stable position with an NGO in South Sudan. “I even convinced my younger sister to quit her job to join me in this so-called opportunity.”
The victims, who gathered at Nandi Park to air their grievances, shared harrowing stories of selling land, livestock, and other family assets to raise between KSh300,000 and KSh750,000 each, purportedly to cover visa fees, processing charges, and travel arrangements.
“I sold part of my land to raise KSh480,000 for my son’s placement,” said a distraught John Ngetich. “Now the agency director has vanished. I don’t want the job anymore, I just want my money back.”
Even the elderly were not spared. Seventy-four-year-old Johana Serem revealed he had paid KSh400,000 in the hope of securing a job abroad for his son. “They’ve been avoiding me for two years. I’ve had enough. I want justice,” he said.
Another victim, Alex Rono from Nandi County, squarely blamed the government, accusing it of licensing “bogus agencies” that prey on desperate youth. “My family lost over KSh1.5 million. How are such firms even allowed to operate?” he asked.
The large-scale con has not only exposed the vulnerabilities of jobless Kenyans eager for opportunities abroad but also raised serious concerns about the regulation of recruitment firms operating in the country.
The victims are now appealing to the government to intervene, investigate the fraudulent agency, and assist in recovering their money. As authorities remain silent, Eldoret’s latest scandal stands as a painful reminder that in a country plagued by high youth unemployment, hope can all too easily turn into heartbreak.
