Fourteen suspects arraigned over job fraud allegations

Morogoro. Fourteen individuals have been arraigned in the Morogoro Primary Court on charges of impersonating labour officials and defrauding 48 young people from various regions by promising them jobs in exchange for money.

The accused allegedly deceived the youths by instructing them to inform their parents that they needed money to attend job training.

This money, presented as payment for "job training," was not clearly explained. However, the total amount scammed by the suspects wasn't mentioned.

The accused appeared before Resident Magistrate Beatha Richard on Friday, April 4, 2025, and denied all the charges levelled against them.

They were granted bail on the condition of providing one surety with a letter from a local government official or community leader, along with a bond of Sh500,000.

The case has been adjourned to Thursday, April 10, 2025.

The accused individuals are Kenedy Mwanza, Maghembe Nyorobi, Mashaka Jajiro, Lasoy Lazier, Sahenga Sokala, Hajard Habibu, Zaina Habibu, Elenuru Moleli, Ericky Francis, Baraka Ally, Daud Joshua, Anitha Elirehema, Donard Edward, and Dickson Akyoo.

The Morogoro District chief operations officer, Mr Geoffrey Kalugendo, informed the court that complaints of job fraud had been received from various regions, with many victims claiming to have been defrauded through a mobile network.

He said investigations were launched after the Morogoro Regional Police Commander, Alex Mkama, received reports of fraudulent activities, leading to the arrest of the 48 youths and the 14 accused.

Mr Kalugendo explained that one complaint came from a parent in Simiyu Region, who had been told that a child has secured a job position in Morogoro, therefore, Sh5 million was required for job training.

However, the parent later discovered the job offer was false after contacting their child directly.

Another complaint came from a parent in the Arusha Region, stating that their son, Erick Onesmo (19), was told he had been offered a job in Dubai with a salary of Sh2 million per month after completing training.

However, he was required to pay Sh5.8 million for the training, which was later confirmed as a scam.

Police arrested 64 youths in the Azimio Kihonda area during the investigation, none of them were from Morogoro.

These youths had paid Sh150,000 as "training" fees and received a magazine titled ‘Milionea Papo Hapo’, literary meaning "Instant Millionaires".

They were also coerced into paying again for job placements in different places of the world, such as Zanzibar, Dubai, Malaysia, and Kenya.

Mr Kalugendo presented two notebooks and the ‘Milionea Papo Hapo’ magazine and stated that the leader of the fraudulent group is still under interrogation.

Additional charges will be filed against the leader once the investigation is concluded.

A Councilor for Malula Ward in Arumeru District, Arusha Region, Ms Rosemary Joseph, testified that her son, Erick Onesmo, met one of the group leaders during hotel management training in Kibaha.

He was asked to pay Sh150,000 for a job interview and was later informed that he had secured the top position.

However, they were shocked to learn that the job offer was fraudulent after being asked to pay Sh5.8 million for a position in Dubai.

Ms Joseph explained that she gathered evidence and filed a complaint with the police, which led to the rescue of her son, alongside other youths who had been fooled by the fraudsters.