Nairobi Boda Boda Rider Narrates How He Was Conned In Fake Jobs Scandal

• For several months, Harun Mwangi Maina saved his meagre boda boda earnings to raise money to enable him to get a job abroad
• He topped it up with loans from friends and paid KSh 170,000 to a recruitment agency that offered to help him relocate to Canada
• Four months after making the payments, he was forced to accept the harsh reality that he had been conned

Harun Mwangi Maina from Kariobangi North has revealed how he became involved in one of the greatest fraudulent deals reported in Kenya.

The 23-year-old told TUKO TV that he got into the boda boda industry while still in high school and used the proceeds to pay his fees.

Mwangi saw advert on TV

However, earnings from the boda boda business have dwindled in recent years, which led him to consider a job abroad.

As luck would have it, he saw a TV advertisement for a company that helped Kenyans find jobs in Canada.

Since he has a valid driving license, Mwangi was sure he would get a good job that would change his family’s fortunes.

"I visited the agency's offices and the way everything was organised, it looked legitimate,” he recalled.

Paid KSh 170 for the job

He was asked to pay KSh 170,000 for documentation but was informed that he would still pay for the Visa independently.

“Since I was not in a Sacco, I saved meticulously and topped up the difference with soft loans from friends,” Mwangi asserted.

When the four-month period he had been given elapsed and he made no progress, he knew there was a problem.

He recalled the day he went to the company's offices and a disgruntled client demanded a refund of his money.

Mwangi is back to ground zero

After paying the fees, he was handed a five-year ban due to a documentation problem, which contrasted with the assurance he had been given from the onset.

Mwangi knew he had been conned when the KSh 600 million fake jobs scandal blew up on mainstream and social media.

“I was surprised to see the name Worthstart because I had paid my money to a different company called Unlock. Apparently they are owned by the same person,” he narrated.

Mwangi admits that the development hurt him, but he has learned to let go and is focusing on rebuilding his life.

Nairobi woman accuses pastor of conning her KSh 150k

Elsewhere, Pastor James Wanjohi, formerly of Jesus Culture Ministry, was accused of orchestrating a multi-million fraud through his recruitment company.

The founder of Worthstart Africa allegedly fleeced unsuspecting Kenyans over KSh 600 million with the promise of helping them secure employment abroad.

An elderly woman was one of the supposed victims, claiming that she took a KSh 150,000 loan to help her orphaned grandchild get a job in Canada via the agency.