I dreamt of working in Qatar and lost Sh130,000 to agent

 Winnie spoke to Everlyne Nyokabi Kinyanjui (inset)who works at a local agency

After Winnie Kyeva exhausted her savings from failedinset business ventures, she decided to apply for a job in Qatar as a domestic help.

With an undying passion, she sought the services of a local recruitment agency. Little did she know this was the beginning of her woes, as she would lose Sh130,000 in the process.

After recommendation from a friend, Winnie spoke to Everlyne Nyokabi Kinyanjui who works at a local agency to help her secure a job in Qatar.

Winnie met Everlyne on Facebook and she recalls that “It was on a Wednesday, September last year when we spoke and she gave me a Friday deadline the same week to registering for the job in Qatar.” She adds that she struggled to raise the Sh130,000, which was the amount required for registration.

Nyokabi allegedly assured her she would be flying out of the country in three weeks’ time.

“I was told to cater for my medical and other expenses in readiness for the job. I went to Nairobi and paid for medical and added another Sh3,000 for registration,” she said.

After signing a contract, Winnie headed back to Mombasa where she was residing at the time and disposed off all her assets.

“I sold everything including a motorcycle I had invested in to supplement my income,” said Winnie.

She narrated how after disposing of everything, she relocated to her brother’s house and waited for the call that would change her life.

“I waited for a long time but nothing came. When I called Everlyne (Nyokabi), she told me there had been a hitch but assured me she would solve it,” Winnie told The Nairobian.

Months later, Nyokabi asked her whether she was interested in working in Denmark as the government had reportedly banned Kenyans from going to work in Qatar.

“That required an extra fee which I could not afford as I did not have any more cash at the time. We therefore agreed that we would just make the Qatar trip work or I would get a refund of my cash,” says Winnie.

Contacted by The Nairobian, Nyokabi confirmed that she owed Winnie the money, but said the government was to blame as agents could not recruit until the ban is lifted, and that she was  working on refunding Winnie her money. “I even took that girl to stay with her when she complained she had nowhere to stay, but she has been very ungrateful,” claimed Nyokabi.

Winnie says Nyokabi hosted her from January to March, but she did chores like a maid and was paid Sh500 every weekend and she now has nothing to her name after she sold everything she owned. She says she is frustrated and all she wants is her money.

“There was a time she gave me a Sh100,000 cheque, but later claimed the cheque could not be cashed as Chase Bank had been put under receivership, even though it was an Equity Bank cheque,” she adds, saying she has been forced to hide from friends who think that she’s in Qatar.

“Winnie is now getting on my nerves and has really become a bother,” says Nyokabi in one of her texts to this writer. “She knows my home and my family but bado hata sijui niseme nini.”