EACC steps up fight against fake academic certificates in public service
31:01:2025: The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has arraigned five public officials in the last five days on various charges relating to the forgery of academic certificates, which they used to secure employment and promotions.
The Commission’s investigations established that the accused, Kenneth Kiplangat Tonui, Joseph Kihara Kaburugu, Stacey Mwikali Mbati, Stephen Wanjohi Gichia, and Felix Ojwang Balamu, fraudulently obtained academic credentials to gain employment and/or career progression at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC).
Kenneth Kiplangat Tonui, the Court was told, used a forged Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) to secure employment at IEBC. Appearing before Milimani Anti-Corruption Principal Magistrate Hon. Celesa Okore on January24th 2025, Tonui denied charges of forgery, deceiving the principal, uttering a false document, and the fraudulent acquisition of public property amounting to Kes9,281,655, being the cumulative salary paid to him by the IEBC.
He was released on a bond of Kes500,000 with a surety of a similar amount or an alternative cash bail of Kes100,000. His case will be mentioned on February 6, 2025.
Joseph Kihara Kaburugu, a Sports Supervisor at NCWSC, forged a Diploma Certificate in Sports Science Management from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology (JKUAT). He was arraigned on January 21, 2025 Chief Magistrate Hon. Harrison Barasa at Miliman Anti-Corruption Court, where he denied all the charges. The Court released him on a bond of Kes500,000 with a surety of a similar amount or an alternative cash bail of Kes100,000. His case will be mentioned on February 4th, 2025.
Stacey Mwikali Mbati, an ICT Officer at NCWSC, used a forged Bachelor of Information Technology degree, which she claimed was issued by JKUAT. She was charge on January 23rd, 2025, with fraudulent acquisition of public property, forgery, uttering a false document, and deceiving the principal before Chief Magistrate Hon. Harrison Barasa. Mwikali pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on bond terms similar to those of the first two accused persons. The matter will be mentioned on February 5th, 2025.
Stephen Wanjohi Gichia forged a KCSE certificate and purported it to be a genuine document issued by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC), which he used to secure employment at NCWSC. Appearing before Milimani Anti-Corruption Principal Magistrate Hon. Celesa Okore on January28th 2025, Gichia denied the charges of forgery, deceiving principal, presentation of a forged certificate, and fraudulent acquisition of public property amounting to Kes8,352,704 being the cumulative salary paid to him by the NCWSC.
He was released on a bond of Kes500,000 with a surety of a similar amount or a cash bail of Kes200,000. The case is scheduled for mention on 11th February 2025.
Felix Ojwang Balamu on the other hand, forged a KCSE certificate, purported it to be a genuine document issued by KNEC, and used it to secure employment at NCWSC. Due to unavoidable circumstances, Mr. Balamu’s plea was postponed to a later date.
When he finally takes the stand, he will plead to charges of fraudulent acquisition of public property amounting to Kes8,243,562, the cumulative salary paid to him by the NCWSC, forgery, deceiving principal, and presentation of a forged certificate.
