Authorities have moved to freeze the assets of Judy Chepchirchir, the director of First Choice Recruitment and Consultancy Agency, as investigations intensify into a multi-billion shilling job scam that allegedly targeted thousands of Kenyan youth with fake promises of overseas employment.
The Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) has secured a court order blocking Chepchirchir from selling, transferring, or disposing of her properties, which include motor vehicles, parcels of land, and a high-end apartment currently under construction.
In a gazette notice, ARA Acting Director General Mark Ogonji announced that Chepchirchir and her associates must immediately surrender the original logbooks for the listed vehicles.
“The respondent is hereby directed to surrender the original logbooks of the motor vehicles and the motor vehicles specified to the applicant forthwith, but not later than 14 days from the date of issuance of this order,” Ogonji stated.
He further warned that failure to comply would prompt the agency to seize the vehicles directly.
“In the event the respondent fails to surrender the above motor vehicles as specified, the applicant shall be at liberty to seize, detain and take custody of the motor vehicles specified therein,” he added.
The ARA has also instructed the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to place caveats on all vehicles registered in Chepchirchir’s name, barring their sale or transfer.
The asset freeze extends to two parcels of land in Eldoret, which will remain under restriction while the probe continues. Additionally, a three-bedroom apartment in Athi River, identified as Unit No. W55 in the GWG5 housing project, has also been flagged.
A second party linked to the Athi River unit has been asked to submit the sale agreement, account statements, and related documents for further review.
Chepchirchir is accused of masterminding a fraudulent recruitment scheme that defrauded over 8,000 job seekers, mainly from Uasin Gishu and Nandi counties, of over Ksh1 billion. The victims allege they were promised well-paying jobs abroad, particularly in Qatar, but were never offered employment after paying hefty sums of money to her agency.
In 2023, the ARA launched a forensic inquiry into 27 bank accounts reportedly associated with the scam with a view to determining possible fraud and money laundering.
The Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare also directed Chepchirchir’s agency to refund the Ksh1 billion reportedly extorted from potential job seekers in Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Nakuru, and Elgeyo Marakwet counties.
The freezing of Chepchirchir’s assets marks a significant step in ongoing efforts to recover the suspected proceeds of crime and bring justice to the thousands of victims still waiting for reparations.
