A lot of Kenyans have left Kenya in search of their dream jobs while others are simply looking for greener pastures.
This is the story of a couple of women who left Kenya, booked their air tickets to Hong Kong, China only to be stranded months after getting there.
According to the Nation, these women who left to work as domestic workers were swindled by an agency identified as “Talent — Kenya Company Limited” which is based at Hollywood Plaza in Hong Kong.
The women, now living in a home “Christian Action” paid the unscrupulous agent before leaving for Hong Kong.
They were required to part with a whopping Sh150,000 paid through two lawyers; Joan Nthenya and Euphrasia Ziriba who have apparently cut links with the agent going by the name “Ivy”.
The lawyers told the daily that they quit working with the agency once they found out they were not complying with househelp agency rules.
Hong Kong laws state that no foreigner should pay more than 10 per cent of their first month’s pay to be placed.
This then means that the women should have paid at least Sh6,324 instead of the Sh150,000 which they could not afford.
The women have recounted being mistreated by their employers. For instance, they were not allowed to touch their food directly and could not eat their food either.
For a place to sleep, one victim remembers having to climb over a cupboard.
Others were denied leave days.
A lawyer and lecturer at the Hong Kong University who works closely with women who fall prey to fraudsters David Bishop has advised that the job seekers thoroughly research before leaving their home countries.
“If Kenyans are offered a job in Hong Kong, then they should know that Hong Kong agencies are not allowed to charge them large job placement fees. The minimum wage and other laws for Hong Kong are posted pretty clearly, so do your research and make sure that the things the agency is telling you are true,” he told the Nation.
In the past, domestic workers in Dubai have complained of being mistreated by their employees. Others have been beaten with some returning home in caskets.
In February, for example, Kenyans in search of jobs in Dubai lost millions of shillings after being scammed by an agent.
Most paid between Sh150,000 and Sh200,000 in the hope of securing employment.
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