A 17-year-old student in Uganda has been apprehended after he was found responsible for the trafficking of 170 youths from Uganda into Kenya by offering them scam jobs.
According to reports, the minor was acting as an agent for her sister who is attached to a fake company in Kenya under the name Humble Company and had recruited as many young people as possible who were interested in securing the job.
Some recruits claimed that they were each required to pay a fee of Ksh.3,901 (Shs.100,00) and others Ksh.1,950 (Shs.50,000) before being housed in a home in Wakiso District, Uganda, awaiting transportation into Kenya.
Police spokesperson Fred Enanga confirmed the arrest and stated that the minor admitted guilt and will be charged with 170 counts of human trafficking.
“Upon interrogation, he admitted that he wanted to extort money from the victims using the name Humble Company in Kenya as a cover up. There was no connection with the company and the job advert for waiters, waitresses, coffee parkers and supermarket attendants in Kenya was fake,” he said as quoted by Daily Monitor.
The minor’s arrest follows the arrest of his accomplice, a 28-year-old woman who acted as the agent, earlier this month. The woman is said to have harbored the youths at her home.
Her arrest occurred after neighbors became concerned about the large number of young people living in the house, who were speaking different languages, indicating they were not from the area.
The student is being held at Kakiri police station, awaiting further police action.
