Authorities are investigating a Nairobi college that allegedly swindled millions of shillings from aspiring students through an elaborate overseas jobs scam, according to a statement Tuesday from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
The DCI said Branka International College, located in Hakati House along Mfangano Road, is accused of defrauding potentially hundreds of students by promising nonexistent jobs and placements abroad after completion of short vocational courses ranging from one week to three months.
“In this classic case of modern-day fraudulence, no refunds are made,” the DCI statement said.
According to investigators, the proprietors charged approximately KES 350,000 in tuition fees per student for certificate courses in subjects like information technology, business management, and hospitality.
The college claimed to have partnerships with companies in the U.S., Europe and Australia that would hire students after graduation. However, officials say no evidence has been provided of any international job agreements, calling them “fictitious.”
“Oblivious of the murkiness that lay ahead, numerous unsuspecting students went ahead to enroll for courses at the college, which guaranteed them of job placements in USA, Europe and Australia,” the DCI statement said.
The school is not actually an accredited educational institution, investigators revealed. Proprietor Teresia Mumbi Kamau allegedly made several failed attempts to register Branka as a technical training school earlier this month, after authorities began probing allegations of fraud.
When DCI officials requested to see licenses and accreditation, Kamau instead filed for anticipatory bail and has since avoided the campus, officials said.
The DCI estimates at least KES 70 million has been obtained through false pretenses from victims. But with classes containing up to 50 students paying hundreds of thousands in fees each, investigators believe the amount defrauded could be far greater as more victims come forward.
Similar allegations have been reported at the Nairobi Central and Kamukunji police stations by additional Branka International College students claiming they never received their promised overseas placements.
“We call upon any other member of the public that has fallen victim of this fraudulence to report to the office of DCI Regional Headquarters Nairobi,” the DCI statement urged.
