Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has come under renewed pressure from MPs to make public a list of authorised recruitment agencies. The MPs also demanded that he rolls out an intensive public awareness campaign after allegations of bias and fraud rocked a government-led job drive targeting opportunities in Qatar.
Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Diaspora Affairs and Migrant Workers on Tuesday, Mutua was questioned over why most of the candidates shortlisted during the Kazi Majuu recruitment held in November and December 2024 came from Machakos, Makueni, and Kitui counties, areas closely linked to him.
The MPs now want the CS to explain how the candidates were selected, and why job seekers continue to be exploited by fake agents.
“We demand to know why this exercise was conducted in your region dominantly. What is not happening?” asked Titus Lotee, Kacheliba MP.
Mombasa Woman Representative Zamzam Mohammed questioned the fairness of the process, stating, “This number is huge, yet you are taking from one county. We also want to know the criteria used to give these young men jobs.”
Mutua defended himself, saying there was no regional bias and promised to submit data showing the true distribution.
“It is very unfair to demonise one region. I can bring a report to this committee on how many people were given jobs and show how very few people from the Kamba community benefited,” he said.
The legislators also raised alarm over the growing number of rogue agencies taking advantage of desperate job seekers, with some applicants claiming they were conned.
Lang’ata MP Phelix ‘Jalang’o’ Odiwuor asked, “Have you gone out and told the people which agencies are conning them?”
“You know, we wonder why you are a lone ranger, and why you have refused to work with us. We have numbers, we can communicate these things on your behalf,” he added.
Mutua acknowledged the shortcomings in outreach and said his Ministry needed to improve its communication.
“I agree we have not done a good job communicating. But it is also the initiative of every Kenyan to do due diligence when applying for these jobs,” he said.
Only 925 of the 6,385 applicants who turned up for interviews during the exercise received provisional job offers.
The rest, some of whom were allegedly duped by unlicensed agents, were left disappointed and without recourse.
The committee, chaired by Kwale Woman Representative Lydia Haika, asked the CS to provide a comprehensive list of all successful candidates, clarify the criteria used, and indicate how many rogue agencies have faced legal action.
The Lang’ata MP demanded to know if the Ministry had published a list of accredited agencies, while Kacheliba MP Titus Lotee sought the number of scammers who have been prosecuted.
Other MPs, including Ibrahim Saney (Wajir North) and Doris Doya ( Kisii Woman Rep), reminded CS Mutua that the government has a responsibility to shield citizens from exploitation, even when dealing with private recruiters.
Mutua told the committee that Kenyans should use the National Employment Authority (NEA), a government platform meant to ensure safe and legal overseas employment.
“The government has created a platform for people to apply. Kenyans need to do due diligence before paying, check with NEA and confirm if the job exists,” he said.
Zamzam pressed further on the regional imbalance, while Njoro MP Charity Kathambi requested a specific report on the youth from Nakuru who had benefited from the programme.
The CS maintained that the selection was not regionally skewed and committed to submitting the full list of recruits and supporting documents.
The committee has now directed the Ministry of Labour to present all relevant documentation, including the names of vetted agencies and updates on actions taken against illegal ones, within two weeks.
