How to Verify a Recruitment Agency in Kenya Before Paying Any Fees
By Kelvin Kibet | Updated October 9, 2026
Before paying a recruitment agency, verify its current registration with Kenya’s National Employment Authority (NEA), confirm that the vacancy and employer are real, and get any fee and contract terms in writing. NEAIMS lists private agencies, their registration details and status, and provides a channel for reporting a fake agency.
1. Search the exact agency on NEAIMS
Use the agency’s full legal name or NEA registration number in the NEAIMS register. Check the current status and certificate expiry date, then compare the listing’s email, website and contacts with the advert. A valid entry confirms the agency’s listed registration status; it does not verify a particular job offer.
2. Contact the agency through a verified channel
Scammers can impersonate a registered agency. Use the contact details in the NEAIMS listing to ask whether the recruiter, vacancy and payment instructions are genuine. Do not rely on a phone number, social-media page or certificate supplied only by the person who approached you.
3. Confirm the employer and vacancy
Ask for the employer’s name, job title, destination, pay, working hours and written contract terms. If the employer has an official careers page, check the vacancy there or contact the employer independently. For overseas recruitment, confirm the agency is registered for the type of service shown in NEAIMS and that the contract identifies who is responsible for visa costs, airfare and medical examinations.
4. Check any fee against the rules
Not every recruitment-related fee is automatically unlawful, but an agency should explain in writing what the charge covers and provide an official receipt. Kenya’s Private Employment Agencies Regulations require agencies to charge principals for recruitment, documentation and placement. For foreign employment, the contract must state who pays visa, airfare and medical costs; the regulations also set conditions for certain test and administrative costs. NEA’s published guidance says job-seeker fees must be approved and within legal limits. If a fee is unexplained, paid to a personal account, or demanded before you can verify the job, pause and check with NEA before paying.
Keep the receipt, agreement, advert and payment record. Do not send money solely because someone says a job will disappear within hours.
5. Protect your documents and accounts
Recruitment may require identity documents, but share them only after verifying the agency and why each document is needed. Never share passwords, one-time PINs, mobile-money PINs or banking credentials. If an agent asks to retain your passport, get the purpose, duration and a receipt in writing, and verify the process with NEA.
Warning signs to investigate
- The agency is absent from the register or its status is expired or suspended.
- A real agency’s name is used with different contact or payment details.
- The employer or job location is withheld.
- You are promised a visa or job without screening or a written contract.
- You are pressured to pay a vague fee to a personal account.
- The written terms differ from the offer you were shown.
How to report a suspected fake agency
NEAIMS provides a report-fake-agency channel. Save messages, adverts, receipts and account details in case NEA or police request them. Our reports on an alleged fake Qatar-jobs scheme and an NIS recruitment scam case show why checking a specific offer matters even when a recruiter uses official-sounding language.
Quick checklist
- Check the exact agency name and status on NEAIMS.
- Verify the vacancy with the employer using an independent contact.
- Read the written contract before travelling or resigning.
- Get each fee explained and receipted; check it against the rules.
- Keep copies of all messages, agreements and payments.
