The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested three Ministry of Labour officials stationed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) for allegedly extorting money from agents who assist Kenyan migrant workers travelling to the Middle East.
According to the EACC, its officers conducted a sting operation on November 30 after receiving credible intelligence. The operation involved one of the affected agents, who had 78 migrant workers scheduled to depart for various Middle Eastern countries.
Investigators say the agent approached the three Labour officers at the JKIA labour clearance booth, where they allegedly demanded Ksh34,000 before clearing the group for travel. The EACC team moved in swiftly, arrested the suspects and recovered the money in their possession.
The officials, identified as Benson Ouma Okello, Esther Njoki Gakuru, and Denis Marias, were taken to the EACC’s Integrity Centre headquarters in Nairobi. Officers recorded their statements and booked them before releasing each of them on a cash bail of Ksh50,000 as investigations continue.
The operation came after the Commission received reports that some Labour officials at JKIA had been soliciting bribes from agents for every migrant worker travelling to the Middle East, an abuse of office that has raised concerns amid Kenya’s rising labour migration numbers.
EACC says investigations are ongoing and the suspects will face charges once the probe is complete.
The post JKIA Labour Officers Arrested for Allegedly Demanding Bribes From Migrant Worker Agents appeared first on Bossnana.
