This archive report was first published on 24 October 2019.
On Wednesday, over a thousand youths were left distraught after a fake job recruitment advert turned out to be a scam.
Police in Nairobi have launched investigations into a syndicate where unemployed youths were conned by fraudsters posing as Solar Africa Energy-Kenya, which was seeking to recruit drivers, electricians, and solar panel distributors.
The fake advert, which promised 82 drivers, 96 electricians, and 192 solar panel distributors, required applicants to pay Sh1,000 as an application fee.
However, the company masquerading as Solar Energy Africa does not have an official website or any official social media accounts. A company named Solar Africa does exist, but it is based in South Africa.
According to the hotel where the recruits were supposed to be hosted, Emory Hotel in Kileleshwa, no company with such a name had booked there.
As reported by Lighting Africa on October 2, 2019, Solar Africa Energy had posted false jobs on its behalf, and all its jobs and tenders are posted through the Ministry of Energy.
Lighting Africa also warned job seekers about the scam on October 16, 2019, stating that the World Bank Group had been made aware of the false job advertisements.
