By Team
Roque employees are part of the cartels in the fake employment racket that has rocked the county government of Homa Bay.
It has also emerged that the county disciplinary committee recently summoned four senior officers to the county after they were allegedly accused of defrauding innocent job seekers of over Sh800,000 in a fake employment racket.
The county government has launched investigations into fake employment rackets that have caused innocent job seekers to lose millions of shillings to the scammers.
Our investigations also reveal that a former officer at the county allegedly printed over 20,000 employment letters before the sacking that the fraudsters have been using to defraud unsuspecting job seekers.
Now the focus turns on the county department of Human Resources and the other three notorious departments where the fraud was said to be prevalent.
The Chairperson of Homa Bay County Public Service Board Mr. Isaya Okoto confirmed to the Western Insight Newspaper that the issue of fake employment racket has been brought to his attention and they have launched investigations.
Unsuspecting and several innocent job seekers may have lost hundreds of thousands of shillings in fake employment fraud at Homa Bay County government.
“We have received complaints of job seekers being defrauded and some of the scammers are rogue employees at the county. We want to appeal to the victims to kindly help us with evidence so that we can weed out the vice and take disciplinary action against the culprit,” he said.
Okoto said the board had embarked on awareness creation to ensure that job seekers were not defrauded of their money.
He said the fraud goes back to the previous regime of the former Governor Cyprian Awiti and that they were working on cleaning up the mess.
Sources at county government revealed some of those implicated in the fraud are senior officers who collude with fraudsters to defraud their victims.
“Some are even former chief officers who still collude with junior staff at the county to defraud their victims. There is a big problem of employment racket that must be brought to a halt. We cannot allow our people to suffer at the hands of scammers. The situation is very grim, and we ask for cooperation of all,” said our sources.
They claimed some of the scammers who do not work at the county government use their closeness with the top office to defraud their victims.
Among those counting losses is a Homa Bay Man who lost sh 240,000 in a fake job racket at the county
And after the loss, the distraught man has now written Homa Bay County Governor Gladys Wanga over his ordeal.
In his letter he claimed, he lost the money to individuals working closely with the County Public Service Board members.
In a letter dated 26th September 2024, one Jactone Oduor claimed that a person named withheld for legal reasons conned him of the said amount in exchange with a letter of appointment for his son Evance Henry Opiyo for a revenue clerk (I) position on 12the June 2023.
He said despite his son receiving an appointment letter on 1st May 2023 for the position, his son is yet to absorbed.
“The above-named is my son and I am writing this complaint letter on his behalf as one who was swindled by fraudsters,” reads in parts the letter copied to Homa Bay County PSB, Intelligence Office, DCI Homa Bay, and the Homa Bay County Attorney.
“He (Evance) was given an appointment letter for the above post which has not materialized up to date,” he claimed.
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“First I sent an M-Pesa payment of Sh80,000 on demand by the suspect on the pretense that the available position was for revenue Clerk (III).” Reads the letter.
“Then he demanded another Sh.60,000 claiming that the boy was overqualified for the above post being that he is a graduate with a bachelor’s degree in commerce and a CPA (IV), hence he needed my son to be placed on Revenue Clerk (I),” he claimed.
The complainant, however, claims that the suspect demanded that he take the boy to the CBSB immediately after the appointment letter was out which had a seal and a rubberstamp where he demanded some requirements like a file and a certification document plus another Sh100,000 before handing over the signed appointment letter to the applicant.
“For the record the accomplish received the Sh100,000 in cash, in the presence of my son; then he handed over the appointment letter,” he alleges.
“A total of Sh.240,000 was given to the suspects. He alleged the two were working in cohorts with some CPSB officials whom they can mention.
“Hon Governor, I am still stranded with my son at home and humbly request for your intervention so that my son Evance can secure employment,” said Oduor.
According to the appointment letter issued and signed by Homa Bay County Secretary and Head of Public Service Prof. Benard Muok reference number HB/PSB/APP2023/VOL1/10 Evance was appointed to Revenue Clerk One position and was to earn Sh31,270 per month with house allowance of Sh.5,800, Commuter allowance of Sh4,000 and another leave allowance of Sh4,000 per annum.
The letter was also signed by Evance upon reception.
I am pleased to inform you that following the successful interview held for the above position, the Public Service Board has approved your appointment to the position of revenue clerk One.
This appointment takes effect from 1st May 2023.
However, according to Muok, the signature appearing in the appointment letter was fake.
“This is not my Signature. It is fake and I am not sure if the two are working for the County Government, but it is difficult to help when people are conned outside,” said Muok.
“The best would be to report to the Police,” replied the County Secretary to our WhatsApp message.
