Lawrence Njoroge is still stranded in his hideout in Bangkok, Thailand, where he flew to take up a supermarket job. Lawrence Njoroge (pictured right) left Kenya for Bangkok with the optimism of getting a supermarket job. The 26-year-old was connected to the said opportunity by a briefcase agent who assured him that he would be onboarded to his prospective employer immediately after landing. Every plan worked out seamlessly, thanks to the support of the said agent before, before it later dawned on him that he had been tricked alongside other job hopefuls. Njoroge revealed that the agent organised his visa, for which he (Njoroge) paid KSh 70,000, received by the agency.
Interestingly, Njoroge was duped into leaving the country on a tourist visa; he was told the document would be changed later to permit him to work in Thailand. He boarded an Ethiopian Airlines flight destined for Bangkok, where he knew he would immediately take up his supermarket role upon landing. Njoroge told this writer that all had been well on landing but got suspicious after he was booked into a hotel with other job hopefuls. “We landed in Bangkok well and went straight to a hotel. It had not rang in my head what was going on until I learnt that I had overstayed in the hotel, and there was no update for supermarket job that we travelled for,” he said. He later learnt that the supermarket job did not exist, and instead, he risked being trafficked to Myanmar to be part of scam centres and mafias. A worried Njoroge left the hotel for another one where he got his hideout, where he currently is as he speaks to his equally anxious mother seeking for help.
His worry is the expiration of his visa that is fast approaching, and the lack of money to pay for his accommodation and basic needs. He said he has been banking on well-wishers for temporary alms; he now pleads with Kenyans of goodwill to facilitate his return. “Hello, Kenyans. I am stranded here (in Bangkok), worried and anxious, and not sure about what might befall me next. I came here for a job, but it turned out to be a fake deal. I am asking for help to fly back home and reunite with my family. My mother has tried all she could to secure my return, but all has been in vain. Her menial jobs cannot raise the money needed as airfare,” Njoroge said in his passionate plea. His mother launched a campaign dubbed Rescue Lawrence Njoroge; anyone willing to channel their contribution toward the young man’s airfare can use the channel below; Paybill Number 5486540, Account name: the contributor’s first name.
by Kai Eli
