Judy Jepchirchir, the director of First Choice Recruitment and Consulting Agency, has been linked to a shady overseas job program that has defrauded over 10,000 youth in Uasin Gishu and Nandi Counties. The 36-year-old revealed that she founded the company in 2018 and has since hired over 7,000 people in Qatar, Dubai, Poland, and the United Kingdom. 
Jepchirchir was accused of not sending all 2,011 job applicants to Qatar for work during the 2022 World Cup.  

Judy Jepchirchir biography summary and age

Judy Jepchirchir's spending habits 

The applicants on a short-term contract, according to the businesswoman, paid a KSh 10,000 medical fee (non-refundable) and a KSh 30,000 service charge.  

The Senate summoned her to shed light on the matter after receiving numerous complaints. Judy was supposed to appear before the Upper House's Labour and Social Welfare Committee, which she allegedly ignored three times. The committee recently camped in Eldoret to hear about the victims' plight. 

Kenyans were perplexed as to why she had not been confronted despite the scandal hanging over her head. Some on Twitter blamed her powerful circles for not holding her accountable as Uasin Gishu residents complained about losing money to her firm. 
 

She is said to be mixing with the who's who at both the grassroots and national levels, which protects her. 

Judy claimed in a recent interview that she is being targeted by envious politicians from the Rift Valley, who she claims are exacerbating her problems. First Choice is based in Uasin Gishu, a county plagued by multi-million shilling scams. 

Saga of Finnish and Canadian scholarships 

Still in the same country, a group of parents and relatives are chasing their money after a failed overseas scholarship to which millions of dollars were committed. 

The county government, now led by Governor Jonathan Bii, is to blame for launching the program. Senator Jackson Mandago proposed the educational airlift initiative near the end of his second term as governor. 

Mandago, on the other hand, has sought to absolve himself of the saga, claiming that he handed over the program to the current administration. He claimed that the funds in the account at the time he was leaving were worth more than KSh 37.5 million, as opposed to the KSh 1 million claimed by the current administration. 

The senator also revealed that the students' locked accounts had over KSh 67 million, bringing the total to over KSh 104 million. Mandago went on to say that by the time he was leaving, the beneficiaries had already secured their places in the Finnish universities and were just waiting for their visas. 

Unmasking the 'untouchable' Judy Jepchirchir

In 2010, Judy Jepchirchir, the head of a contentious job recruitment agency connecting young individuals to overseas positions in Qatar, was engaged in selling imported clothing in Eldoret town.

Before 2010, she departed from Chepnoet village in Nandi and married in Uasin Gishu County. A secondhand clothing trader in Eldoret recalled recently how Judy Jepchirchir, who leads First Choice Recruitment and Consultancy, became involved in a scandal involving 400 million Kenyan Shillings and 10,000 youth in a failed Qatar job program.

She has been summoned before the Uasin Gishu County Assembly and the Senate due to numerous complaints from hundreds of young people who were misled by the company. They paid between 40,000 to 200,000 Kenyan Shillings to secure jobs in Qatar during the 2022 World Cup, but despite making payments, they didn't travel to Qatar.

Many parents who sold their land and livestock to support their children's dreams of overseas employment also demanded refunds.

Jepchirchir, 37, is described by those who know her as a shrewd entrepreneur who rose from poverty. She briefly lived in Australia and Canada. She started out as a clothing vendor in 2010 before enrolling as a business management undergraduate at Moi University's West Campus. After finishing her degree, she ventured into the clothing supply business, catering to local traders and South Sudan.

She pursued a master's degree at the same university before leaving for Australia. Following some personal issues, she moved to Canada, where she married briefly before returning to Kenya in 2018.

Upon her return, Jepchirchir founded an agency for overseas jobs. Despite her initial struggles, she found success in the clothing business and became a skilled broker.

However, her involvement in dubious overseas job programs and connections with high-ranking government officials have raised concerns. Her First Choice Recruitment and Consultancy was launched with much fanfare, attended by Labor Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui (now Cooperatives and Micro and Small Enterprise CS) and then-Governor Jackson Mandago (now senator).

Although Mandago denied any involvement in the youth paying for job assistance, Jepchirchir gained popularity for her faltered overseas job programs in Uasin Gishu and Nandi counties. This attracted numerous jobless individuals seeking work in various countries, including Qatar, the United Kingdom, and Poland.

A committee summoned her, but she was described as uncooperative. Despite 300 reports filed against her, no arrest or prosecution took place.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) recorded statements from over 300 individuals who claimed to have paid First Choice Recruitment and Consultancy for jobs abroad. Jepchirchir appeared before the DCI to record statements, but invitations were reportedly ignored on multiple occasions.

The victims depict Jepchirchir as a clever woman who appears genuine but turns harsh when deals sour.

Eliud Kipsang, who left his job after being promised a lucrative position in Qatar, broke down as he recounted his experience. He shared how he was prayed for by pastors in her office, leading him to believe everything was legitimate.

Kipsang and others were puzzled by the insistence on cash payments rather than mobile money transfers or bank transactions.

Silas Rotich, another victim, revealed that the agency continued recruiting in Eldoret despite shutting down an office in response to protests by the youth.

The DCI initiated investigations after multiple complaints in March. Preliminary findings showed that road shows and media advertisements took place in Uasin Gishu, attracting youth to the program. Around 10,000 individuals paid the agency, but less than 100 secured jobs.

The Senate Committee has vowed to support the victims and is preparing a report. Jepchirchir denies defrauding over 8,000 youth, claiming the agency has placed more than 7,000 Kenyans in overseas jobs.

She claimed that 827 people were sent to Qatar for a period ranging from two to four months. 

The remaining 1,184 people were unable to participate in the program due to factors related to the large influx of people and their medical status. From the remaining 600, 600 people agreed to a two-year contract worth between KSh 50,000 and KSh 150,000. Jepchirchir stated that another 106 applicants gave their chances to relatives, claiming to have refunded 448 people. 

Scholarship scandal in Finland 

This came as victims of the Uasin Gishu Overseas Scholarship Programme vowed to hold daily protests in Eldoret starting next week. The students, who were accompanied by their parents, stated that they planned to camp in Eldoret's streets until the county government refunded their money. 

Some of the students stated that they paid their county taxes when the new governor took office. 
 

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