Nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba has called for the immediate dismissal of Labour and Social Protection Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua, accusing him of incompetence and failure to protect Kenyans from fraudulent diaspora job schemes.

Speaking during a Senate session on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, Orwoba directly appealed to President William Ruto to remove Mutua from his cabinet position over the controversial diaspora jobs program that has led to many Kenyans being defrauded.

She accused the Ministry of Labour of enabling fraudsters to exploit desperate job seekers under the guise of recruitment for overseas jobs.

“I want to call upon the President, my party leader, to fire the Cabinet Secretary of Labour because he knows what is happening and he knows exactly why we are standing here and we are upset. This person is incompetent and his interests have been seen. He is not there for the people of Kenya,” Orwoba stated.

The senator revealed that she had personally participated in a recruitment exercise in partnership with the National Employment Authority, which she believed was legitimate because it was conducted through official government channels.

“I am standing here because I am affected by this thing of Diaspora Jobs. I took part in a recruitment in partnership with the National Employment Authority because they called upon me,” she explained.

“When the government of Kenya announces a special program, how can someone stand in this house and act as if they are too wise to participate?” she asked.

Victim blaming

Orwoba strongly rejected suggestions that Kenyans should have been more cautious about government-promoted employment programs likening such advice to telling citizens not to participate in other government initiatives, such as universal healthcare.

“Since when does the Kenyan Government, through a ministry, a government office, allow for conmen to sit and literally con young people of this country?” she questioned.

“People are desperate. They are desperate to go out and seek work. We can not write off their participation by saying, ‘Why did you take part?’ We also have government programs like universal healthcare through SHIF and SHA. How can you start telling Kenyans to be wise and not participate in that?” she emphasized.

Calling for accountability, the senator urged President William Ruto to remove Mutua from office, accusing him of a lack of commitment to the welfare of Kenyan workers.

“Government is supposed to be for the people, and stand for the people so when a government initiative on labour export is put out you can not expect that Kenyans will say, ‘Don’t touch that because they could be a possibility that they are being conned,'” she stated.

The senator further condemned what she described as victim-blaming, arguing that Kenyans cannot be expected to distrust programs that are officially endorsed by government ministries.

“That is victim-blaming. You cannot blame the victims of those who have been conned because some of them were actually conned from the office of the Ministry of Labour. So what are we trying to say to Kenyans?” she charged.

“Let him go home. Let him go home,” she concluded emphatically.