In a bid to protect Kenyan job seekers from exploitation, the government has taken decisive action against over 700 fraudulent employment agencies promising lucrative positions abroad.

Roseline Njogu, Principal Secretary of the State Department for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, emphasized the importance of ensuring that employment agents are registered with the National Employment Authority (NEA) to avoid falling victim to scams.

“Only work with agents licensed by the National Employment Authority. Do not work with travel agents and others calling themselves agents yet they are not,” Njogu cautioned during the inauguration of the Kazi Majuu job fair in Meru.

Njogu revealed that out of a list of 1,200 agents at the beginning of last year, 700 have been deregistered due to unethical conduct and criminal activities.

She directed Kenyans to NEA’s website (www.neaims.go.ke) for a comprehensive list of licensed employment agents and emphasized the government's commitment to regulating these agents to maintain integrity and protect job seekers.

“We regulate the agents such that if we get a complaint about an agent, we revoke their license. We ensure that the people who keep their license are those doing what is right,” Njogu affirmed.

Furthermore, Njogu advised individuals seeking employment on cruise ships to collaborate with agents verified by the Kenya Maritime Authority, reinforcing the government's efforts to safeguard citizens' interests in the job market.