Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui has denied any role or association with a firm accused of defrauding youths of millions of shillings for jobs overseas.
Chelugui has termed the media reports as not only inaccurate but also misleading and further demanded an apology for it.
In a hard-hitting statement Wednesday, the CS appeared to set the record straight over it arguing there is an attempt to drag his name into the accusations facing First Choice Recruitment and Consultancy agency.
He has, however, confirmed that on May 15, 2021, as a CS he presided over an event by some organizers that saw him flag off 200 youth who had secured jobs in Qatar during the 2022 World Cup.
“As the Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Protection at the time, I was obliged to honour the invite and grace the event because I felt it was a great opportunity for our youth and our country,” he stated.
“Also used the occasion to promote government policy on labour migration,” he added.
Chelugui explained that his role at the event was limited to just being the chief guest where he used to outline the government's position regarding labour migration.
“I also used the opportunity to explain the challenges we were facing at the time and the solutions that we had put in place to protect Kenyans looking for jobs abroad and ensure that recruitment agencies abide by the law,” he stated.
A report by the Senate Labour Committee reveals that the agency in question was involved in a massive scam in which hundreds of desperate parents and candidates lost savings, land and belongings.
While urging Kenyans to ignore the report, the CS has maintained that he always conducted himself with a high level of professionalism, honour and dignity while discharging his duties.
“I am, therefore, surprised by the malicious, unfair, offensive and slanted stories… I demand unequivocal apology for tarnishing my reputation,” the statement states.
And, while defending migration labour, Chelugui observed that 4.4 million Kenyans are working abroad currently with over 1.8 million formally registered.
In January 2020, he said, there Kenya was sending 40, 000 migrant workers to foreign job markets whose combined remittance was USD1.5 billion.
"By the time I left in September 2022, we were facilitating 100, 000 migrant workers annually with annual remittance of USD4 billion," he noted.
