It was a sorrowful day at Uasin Gishu County Assembly when the Senate Labour and Social Welfare Committee met with over 500 residents of Uasin Gishu who were allegedly defrauded of their hard-earned money by First Choice Recruitment and Consultancy Agency. 

The Honourable Senators were on a fact-finding mission in the County after the residents informed the Senate, through a Petition, that the recruitment agency obtained money through the false pretence that they would facilitate them to find jobs in Qatar, Dubai, Australia, Poland and Finland. 

Filled with emotions, anguish and tears, the Petitioners vividly narrated to the Members of the Senator-Murgor-led Committee how the First Choice’s deceit led to untold misery in their lives and pleaded with the Senate to help them get their money back. 

“I convinced my husband to sell his motorbike and all our cows so that we can take our girl abroad. After Ms Judy, the Director, refused to honour her promise, my husband divorced me and he is demanding his money back,” Mrs Resilah Makokha said amid tears. 

“I managed to convince my mother to sell a part of our land so that my sister and I could find jobs abroad. That subsequently led to her illness which claimed her life. My family is blaming me for killing my lovely mother,” Mr Eliud Kipsang, one of the victims, added. 

On their part, Senators took offence to First Choice Director’s, Ms Judy Chepchirchir, failure to attend the meeting intended to find a lasting solution to the matter, and pledged to exercise all their powers to ensure the Kenyans are refunded their money in line with the President’s remarks yesterday that his Government will take stern actions to people who have defrauded Kenyans.  

“We find it that the Director of First Choice did not intentionally want to appear before this Committee to circumvent justice to the victims. So, the Committee should issue serious directions against the Director and its associates.,” Senator Cherarkey, who appeared as a friend of the Committee, added. 

“The President declared war against corruption yesterday when addressing the Devolution Conference. We, as a Committee, will not rest until First Choice refunds money to these petitioners,” said Senator Miraj. 

The Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare met with the Petitioners on the sidelines of the Devolution Conference 2023 which is happening in Eldoret Town. 

In attendance were Senator Julius Murgor, Senator George Mbugua, Senator Mohammed Faki, Senator Samson Cherarkey, Senator Miraj Abdulrahman, and a host of Uasin Gishu Members of County Assembly (MCAs)