Dozens Conned Millions In Eldoret’s New Overseas Jobs Scam

Victims lose life savings to fraudulent travel company promising jobs in Canada and Sweden

ELDORET, Kenya – A devastating recruitment scam has left dozens of families in Eldoret financially destroyed after a local travel company allegedly defrauded them of millions of shillings while promising lucrative overseas employment opportunities.

Pro Line Travel Advisors Limited stands accused of orchestrating the elaborate fraud, targeting desperate job seekers with promises of well-paying positions in Canada and Sweden. Instead of legitimate employment, victims received fake documents, unfulfilled promises, and mounting debts that have pushed many families to the brink of financial ruin.

The scale of the deception is staggering. Cynthia Chemtai from Chereng’any quit her job and sold her family’s only piece of land to raise funds for what she believed would be a visa to Canada. Two years later, she remains unemployed in Kenya, contemplating selling a kidney to repay her father.

“He came and convinced my father, saying he was taking people to Canada. The land is gone… I haven’t gone to Canada, I’m jobless. I’ve told myself I’ll start selling my kidney to return that money to my father,” Chemtai said, her voice breaking with emotion.

Her story mirrors that of Ben Ruto from Chemroroch village, who sold land belonging to his mother and paid 880,000 shillings hoping to secure overseas employment for his son. “I asked for land from my mother, she gave me one hectare. I sold it thinking we would be helped. I paid 880,000, but until today there’s no job,” Ruto explained.

Julia Bushenei’s experience reveals the cruel timing of the deception. After selling her only plot to raise 800,000 shillings, she received what turned out to be a counterfeit visa just hours before a planned farewell party for her son. “That land I sold, that was my first time. At the last minute they gave us fake visas and we held a farewell party here,” she recalled bitterly.

The sophistication of the scam is evident in Jacqueline Chepkoech’s case. She borrowed 400,000 shillings to fund her husband’s supposed journey to Sweden, only to receive a photograph of a visa sent via WhatsApp – no physical document, no travel arrangements, no legitimate pathway to employment abroad.

What makes this case particularly troubling is the apparent lack of law enforcement action despite clear evidence of fraud. Victims report that multiple police complaints have been filed, and a court order was issued in 2022 directing the arrest of Pro Line director Isaac Barmasai. Yet no arrests have been made.

“We took the case to court. The court ordered Barmasai to pay the money. The order was issued on the 23rd, but until now he hasn’t been arrested,” Ruto lamented. Victims accuse officers at Eldoret Central Police Station of protecting Barmasai from prosecution, with Bushenei adding, “At Central Police Station it’s like they know Barmasai. They said they would arrest him but nothing happened.”

The National Employment Authority has confirmed that Pro Line Travel Advisors Limited has been deregistered and is no longer licensed to conduct recruitment operations, undermining Barmasai’s claims that the company is a legitimate, legally registered business.

This latest scandal adds to Eldoret’s growing reputation as a hub for fraudulent recruitment schemes. The city, once celebrated as the “city of champions” for its athletic achievements, now faces notoriety for employment scams that repeatedly go unpunished.

The human cost extends far beyond financial losses. Families have lost their primary assets, accumulated crushing debts from friends and financial institutions, and suffered severe emotional trauma. The victims’ trust in both the recruitment industry and the justice system has been shattered.

As these families continue to struggle with loan repayments and lost property, their calls for justice echo unanswered through the corridors of power. Their question remains painfully simple yet profound: in a system designed to protect citizens from fraud, why do the perpetrators remain free while the victims suffer in silence?

The Eldoret recruitment scam serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities facing Kenya’s job seekers and the urgent need for stronger regulatory oversight and law enforcement action to protect citizens from predatory schemes that prey on their hopes for a better future.