Man arraigned in Sh500m fake overseas jobs scheme

A man accused of conning hundreds of youths from the North Rift and Western regions of more than Sh500 million by promising them jobs in Canada and Turkey was arraigned in an Eldoret court yesterday.

Wearing a black jacket, Anthony Masika Barasa looked composed in the dock as he appeared for the first time in connection with the fake jobs scandal.

He was not required to plead to the charge after the investigating officer asked Presiding Chief Magistrate Dennis Mikoyani to allow police to detain Barasa for 21 days as they probe the matter.

Barasa (pictured) is said to have used Gifford Agencies HR and Marketing Services Company to obtain money from the unsuspecting youths under false pretences, contrary to Section 313 of the penal code.

The money came from college and university graduates between September 28, 2023, and July 19, 2024, in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County.

More than 400 young people are said to have paid him money through a bank account and M-Pesa that ranged between Sh450,000 and Sh525,000 each with the promise of overseas jobs.

Police had not completed their investigations into the fraud, Police Constable James Barasa, of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations office in Soy sub-county, told the court.

He also said the life of the suspect would be in danger if he was released on bail. The suspect was arrested two days earlier by the police with the help of the public.

The officer also told the court that the suspect closed his recruitment agency and went underground, refusing to pick up phone calls from his victims.

“The suspect was later arrested by the police following a tip-off from members of the public within Pioneer estate where he had gone to check on the welfare of his wife and children,” Officer Barasa said.

The magistrate ordered the suspect to be escorted to the Eldoret central police station, where he will be held for 21 days.

The matter will be mentioned on September 30