Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua has denied claims that the government extorted money from desperate young Kenyans seeking foreign jobs under a state-backed labour migration programme.

Speaking on Spice on Wednesday, May 7, Mutua claimed that most of the complaints stemmed from one community, suggesting the issue is being driven by political incitement.

He claimed that some job seekers who had initially raised concerns have since changed their stance.

“The sad thing is that the people who are complaining are from one community. You may ask; This is a great community, why is it only from this one community?” Mutua posed.

“It’s because they have been incited by somebody from that community. Some of the agencies now say they don’t want to work with this community because even for a slight delay, they take to the streets.”

Labour CS @DrAlfredMutua: The sad thing is the people who are complaining that they paid and did not travel are all from one community, and it’s because they have been incited by somebody from that community.#TheSituationRoom pic.twitter.com/rFBoLW8btx

— KTN News (@KTNNewsKE) May 7, 2025

His remarks follow sharp criticism by members of the public who accuse the government of failing to crack down on rogue recruitment agencies, accused of conning Kenyans,  without delivering the promised jobs. 

Yesterday, Mutua had a heated exchange with Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba when he appeared before the Senate Labour Committee investigating the alleged scams.

The Labour CS accused  Orwoba of deliberately misleading the public, while she challenged him to provide evidence of job placements the government had secured.

According to him, Kenyans who had paid for jobs but didn’t travel were refunded by the respective recruitment agencies, dismissing Orwoba’s claims as “fake.”

“People paid money. The jobs didn’t materialise, so they were refunded. The ones who didn’t want refunds asked for other jobs, and some have even travelled,” said Mutua.

“I’m dealing with a success rate of ninety percent. There used to be a crisis of people disappearing (with the money). They are now very scared because I’m very tough,” he added.

Mutua also denied claims that the government transacts directly with job seekers, saying that its role is to negotiate opportunities with host countries, after which recruitment agencies handle the placement process.

Despite reports of victims losing huge amounts, including life savings, Mutua insisted that most job seekers were given a cost breakdown and had consented to the expenses.

Some, however, have demanded full refunds. This, he said, is not always possible, especially if a candidate has begun the onboarding process, as part of the fees may have already been spent on items such as medical tests.

To ease the burden on job seekers, the government has introduced a plan to offer loans covering all travel-related costs, excluding medical tests.

“The President has guided us. I’ll work with MPs on the Uwezo Fund to pay for the travel fees. You do a medical and don’t get asked for another cent,” stated Mutua.

He added, “You cover the medical tests. The rest of the cost will be covered by the government through the loan. Within six months, you’ll commit a quarter or half of your salary to repay that loan.”