The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested a former employee of the Office of the Auditor-General for allegedly using a forged Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) to get a job and pocket public money. The suspect was picked up at his home in Kibera on Thursday, October 22, before being taken to the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court.
At the court, he was charged with forgery, presenting a forged certificate, and fraudulently acquiring public property. Investigators from the commission say he presented a KCSE certificate that looked like it came from the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), showing he had sat his exams at Orero Secondary School. The certificate was allegedly used to land a job at the Office of the Auditor-General. The EACC says this led to the fraudulent acquisition of public funds worth more than Ksh5.8 million.
The commission has put the figure at Ksh5,876,203.89. After completing its investigations, the EACC forwarded the file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who approved the charges. Prosecutors told the court that the certificate was handed in as genuine and was relied on when the man was hired. The suspect denies the charges, and as with any case at this stage, he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
The court released him on a cash bail of Ksh300,000, or an alternative bond of Ksh800,000 with a surety of the same amount. The case will be mentioned again on November 5 for directions.
The arrest comes as the EACC steps up its probe into fake academic papers used to get public jobs and salaries. Several former public employees are already facing prosecution over similar claims. Earlier this month, a former Kenya Airports Authority employee was charged for allegedly using a forged Bachelor of Commerce certificate to get an acting appointment as a Fire Supervisor. In that case, the man is said to have shown a certificate supposedly issued by Mount Kenya University to an airport manager, as he chased an acting position at Lokichogio Airport in Turkana County.
In another case, the EACC charged a former Kiambu County Assembly employee who allegedly used a forged KCSE certificate to get hired. The prosecution says the certificate was presented to the county assembly in September 2016 as genuine. Over the years between August 2016 and May 2025, the employee allegedly earned salaries worth Ksh6,283,631.30.
The commission has been warning public officers that fake certificates will not be tolerated, and that those who use them will be pursued even years after they were hired. Members of the public are encouraged to report any suspected cases of corruption to the EACC.
