More than 300 Kenyans paid millions of shillings for jobs in the Middle East through a recruitment exercise commissioned by the Ministry of Labour last year, but are yet to secure employment.

Representatives of the job seekers who appeared before the Senate Labour Committee on Monday recounted how they each paid between Sh15,000 and Sh55,000 for employment promises that remain unfulfilled months later, despite assurances from State agencies.

The Senate committee has summoned Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua and the management of the National Employment Authority (NEA) to shed light on the matter, as the ministry directly supervised the much-publicised recruitment drive.