On Saturday night, victims of another overseas jobs scam in Eldoret took matters into their own hands, staging a citizen’s arrest outside the home of a key suspect.
The suspect, who runs a recruitment firm in the city, had allegedly defrauded job seekers of more than Kes.500 million by falsely promising them employment abroad.
Several victims who had paid substantial amounts to the firm gathered at the suspect’s residence in Pioneer Estate after learning that he was inside with his family. Among them was Mzee Abel Chumba, who revealed that he had given the suspect over Kes.450,000, hoping his two sons would secure jobs in Turkey and Australia.
The group waited outside the suspect’s gate, anticipating his exit. However, he remained indoors until early Sunday, when he realized people were gathered outside.
Attempted Escape
In a bid to escape, the suspect reportedly attempted to cut through grills leading to his neighbor’s house.
Virginia Kibe, another victim, stated that they managed to catch the suspect as he tried to flee and successfully detained him. Private security officers accompanying the victims assisted in handing him over to the police.
“He has conned us out of a lot of money, but police kept saying they couldn’t arrest him. That’s why we decided to stage a citizen’s arrest, so no one could say he couldn’t be found,” said Ms. Kibe.
The residents escorted the suspect to Eldoret Central Police Station, where he was placed in custody.
Human rights activist Kimutai Kurui, who was present, criticized the police for their slow response to the scam. “This man has been around all along, but the police claimed they couldn’t find him. We wanted to prove them wrong by handing him over ourselves,” Kurui remarked.
Kurui further expressed concern that Eldoret had become a haven for fraudsters, with over 50 illegally operating recruitment agencies, while authorities have not taken action.
Uasin Gishu County police commander Benjamin Mwanthi, however, reported that eight suspects had already been arrested in connection with similar fraud complaints in the town.
