Wamuzi News Ke
In an unbelievable turn of events, detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have captured four persons, among them a Teachers Service Commission (TSC) director, in an elaborate Ksh40 million fake teacher recruitment scheme.
This scandal has rocked the education sector in Kenya, and the arrests were made in Bomet County after the detection of fraudulent appointment letters promising government employment.
The four suspects were named as David Kemei—the TSC Director for Konoin Sub-County—Rosebella Chepkemoi Korir, a former candidate for the Bomet County Woman Representative position, and two teachers, Leonard Siele Towett and Mercy Cherotich. The suspects were brought to the Bomet Law Courts on Friday. The prosecution was able to secure 14-day custodial orders to further probe the vast network.
The DCI stated that the con men lured unemployed teachers and other job seekers by promising them permanent government jobs with the TSC if they paid a huge amount of money. The fake appointment letters, which have been confirmed as such, were used to entice the victims—a lot of them were caused to sell their properties, borrow money, or empty their savings to get the false offers.
Law enforcement suspects that the fraud ring has extended to various regions, Kericho, Narok, Kisii, and Nyamira among them, and they are already moving to catch more people who are connected to the illegal activities.
The DCI pointed out that this particular scam erodes public trust in the government and takes advantage of the job seekers’ vulnerability during the time when teacher recruitment is the national priority.
The arrests coincided with a government plan to recruit thousands of teachers as early as 2026 to tackle the critical shortage of teachers in the country’s schools, and it was exactly this situation that the scammers had been waiting for to spring their trap.
In their announcement, the DCI encouraged the public to check all recruitment opportunities only via the official TSC channels, stressing that the Commission does not require any fees for employment.
The agency is providing a toll-free line for victims who have not yet reported their cases to step forward and liaise with the nearest police station.
The ongoing case not only raises the questions of internal controls at the government agencies but also the issue of accountability and quick justice for the perpetrators of this fraud, which is one of the largest teacher recruitment scams in Kenya in a long time, is being demanded by the people.
