Thinking about a job in the Gulf, Europe or anywhere else abroad? Work through this checklist before you pay an agent or hand over your passport. It takes two minutes, runs on your phone and sends nothing to us. The most important step is the first one: confirming that the agency is licensed by the National Employment Authority (NEA).
How to Check an Agency on the NEA Register
The NEA keeps the official list of private employment agencies allowed to recruit Kenyans, through its online system, NEAIMS. The State Department for Diaspora Affairs also runs a verification page that reads from the same register. Search by the agency’s name or its NEA registration number, then check three things:
- Status. Only “Valid” counts. An expired or suspended licence means the agency is not allowed to recruit.
- Service type. Some agencies are licensed for local recruitment only. For a job abroad, the entry must cover foreign recruitment.
- Contacts. Use the email and website on the register to contact the agency. Fraudsters often use a real agency’s name with their own phone number.
We link to the official register rather than copying it, because licences change often and an out-of-date copy could mislead you. The NEA site can be slow; if it does not load, try again later or call the NEA on 020 8610000.
What the Rules Say About Fees
The Labour Institutions (Private Employment Agencies) Regulations, 2016 (Legal Notice 110) set out who pays for what. According to the International Labour Organization’s summary of the regulations, agencies must charge their principals, meaning the employers, a service fee for recruiting, documenting and placing workers. The regulations also require a foreign employment contract to state which party pays for the visa, the air ticket and the medical examination. Under the National Employment Authority Act, the NEA itself cannot charge a Kenyan any fee to register as a job seeker.
In practice, that means you should never pay a large “processing” or “slot” fee before you have seen your contract, and any payment should go to the agency’s company account with an official receipt, never to a personal M-Pesa number.
Red Flags From Recent Cases
- Payment before paperwork. In July 2026, DCI arrested the director of a suspected fake agency after a job seeker lost Sh110,000 over a promised job in Qatar. DCI urged people to confirm an agency is registered and licensed before paying.
- “Authorised agents” for a whole country. In February 2026, the State Department for Diaspora Affairs warned that people falsely claiming to be authorised agents for jobs in Luxembourg were charging recruitment and processing fees. It said Luxembourg recruitment goes through that country’s public employment service, not private brokers.
- WhatsApp and Telegram recruitment. The same advisory warned against recruiters running formal recruitment on social media and messaging apps.
- Visit visas for work. A job that needs you to travel on a tourist or visit visa leaves you with no legal protection when you get there.
- Keeping your passport. An agent has no reason to hold your passport for weeks before you have a contract.
Before You Travel
Keep copies of your signed contract, your receipts and the agency’s NEA registration details, and leave a set with your family. Note the contacts of the Kenyan embassy or consulate in the country you are going to. If anything feels wrong, report it to DCI on 0800 722 203 (toll-free). You can also paste the advert into our fake job advert checker to spot common warning signs.