A Kenyan man took to social media to narrate how 30 people were allegedly robbed in a job scam in Nairobi’s upmarket Westlands area.
The scammers had posted an advertisement online which the victim applied to and later received a call to attend an interview.
“Nairobi haki ni shamba la mawe! When some of us sing that “Ümetutoa Mbali” song, we mean it.
Katika harakati ya kutafuta kazi baada ya kufuzu (while looking for a job after completing my studies), I bumped into this job opportunity advertisement online which I applied to.
A few days later I got a call being invited for an interview. One of the requirements for the interview was Sh 500 for a medical check-up, a smartphone and laptop/tablet and a short (kinyasa).
On that fateful Monday morning, I arrived for the interview – in a certain building na uko Ojijo Road, Westy (Westlands). There were no other tenants in that building.
The building’s interior finishing had not been done.
So kufika pale, tulikuwa mtu kama 30 (on arriving there, we were about 30 people).
They had tried to make the place look like an upcoming office. We were told the offices are new and they were in the process of acquiring furniture and other office items.
There was a nice carpet, a few seats, etc. Around saa nne (10 AM), all the interviewees tukaitwa (we were called to the) common area.
We were told that we would begin with medical tests before the main interview.
So, for better results, we were told that we needed to jog for like 10 minutes before damu itolewe (blood was drawn). There was a place huko upstairs for jogging which had been prepared for us.
So, tukaambiwa mtu atoe nguo zenye ako nazo avae (we were told to strip and put on the) shorts – remember everyone had carried one.
We were also shown a secure place (on the) ground floor where we would place our bags – alafu sote tukapanda huko juu tukaanza ku (and then we all went upstairs to) jog.
Kila mtu na kinyasa, wengine (All of us had shorts, some) boxer, some had vests, others didn’t have any.
We were told to keep jogging watatuita downstairs mmoja mmoja (they would call us downstairs one by one).
Wueh, wacha (let us) tu-jog. Wacha tu sweat, 30 minutes later, hakuna mtu ameitwa (no one called us) downstairs for the test….I started sensing danger!
With another guy, we decided to go downstairs….Butwaaaa (shock)…. we found an empty room…not even carpet, floor ni kokoto (is ballast)…
Kumbe it is an abandoned building!
Kumbe as we were jogging huko juu, tulikuwa tunasanywa (as we were jogging upstairs, we were being robbed) downstairs…. we had left all our belongings kwa (in) bags downstairs.
They had made it mandatory for everyone to have a smartphone, laptop or tablet and sh 500.
You should have seen a group of 30 young men in the streets of Westlands without shirts, trousers, shoes, tukielekea (heading to) Parklands police station ku-report vile tume- coniwa (how we have been conned).
The drama that was in the station is a story for another day. Wale karao kwa (the police who record in the) OB as we narrated our ordeal walikuwa wanacheka wanaangusha (they laughed as they dropped their) guns!
How we got nguo za kuvaa (clothes to wear) and fare to go back home ni Mung tu anajua (only God knows),”