Kenya: Beware of Fake Job Ads At Kenyan Retailer Naivas Asking for 'Registration' Fees

27 August 2024
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Grace Gichuhi

Beware of fake job ads at Kenyan retailer Naivas asking for 'registration' fees

IN SHORT: These ads direct applicants to a Google form that asks for personal information and requires payment to register. Naivas has stressed that it never charges during the recruitment process.

The Facebook group Naivas supermarket application job and the page Naivas Job Applications are advertising jobs at the Kenyan supermarket chain Naivas.

Their posts include a link to a Google form where applicants are asked to sign up.

According to the page, vacancies include guards, receptionists, storekeepers, distributors, marketers and accountants.

Salaries for these positions range from KSh17,000 to KSh34,000 (US$150 to $300).

According to the Google form, the recruitment is to replace employees whose contracts expire in August and to hire new staff for branches across Nairobi county. The deadline for applications is 31 August 2024.

The form shows salary details and a medical allowance of between KSh500 and KSh2,000.

It also asks for personal information such as email address, full name, mobile phone number and gender. It also asks if the applicant prefers to be hosted by Naivas or commute daily.

These vacancies appear here and here. (Note: See more instances listed at the end of this report.)

But are these ads legitimate? We checked.

Fake job ads

The final step of the application on the Google form requires applicants to pay a KSh50 registration fee via M-Pesa to "Dr Nkatha Kimathi", who is listed as the recruitment officer.

This fake job ad has been circulating since July, with only the deadline and the phone number for the registration fee changing each time.

The job postings on the Facebook group Naivas supermarket application job instruct applicants to contact a listed phone number via WhatsApp, an unusual method of recruitment for a company like Naivas.

When we contacted the number, we were asked to send KSh350 for registration to "Mr Langat", identified as the recruitment officer. This is clearly a scam.

We have not found any such vacancies on the Naivas website. The website has a disclaimer advising jobseekers to verify any advertised jobs directly through the official email addresses. There is no Google form.

Naivas also emphasises that it does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process.

For more information on how to avoid scams on Facebook, read our guide.

The fake job ads also appear here, here, here and here.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. Twitter @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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