Gov’t Officer in Court Over Forged KCSE Certificate, Acquisition of Ksh8.6 Million Property

An officer at the Office of the Auditor General has been arraigned in court for allegedly using a forged academic certificate to fraudulently secure employment.

In a statement on Thursday, August 21, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) confirmed that the suspect, identified as Dorothy Jepkoech Kiptoo, was charged with multiple offences linked to the forgery.

"The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arraigned Dorothy Jepkoech Kiptoo, an employee of the Office of the Auditor General, for allegedly using a forged academic certificate to fraudulently secure public employment," the statement.

According to EACC, investigations revealed that Kiptoo forged a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificate and presented it as a genuine document issued by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC). 

The document was then used to secure employment at the Auditor General’s office.

EACC noted that it forwarded the case file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), which, after review, approved charges against the suspect. 

These charges include fraudulent acquisition of public property amounting to Ksh8,698,662.91, forgery, and uttering a false document.

“The suspect was booked at the Integrity Centre Police Station before being arraigned at the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court. She pleaded not guilty to the charges and was subsequently released on a cash bail of Ksh100,000, with an alternative bond of Ksh500,000,” the statement added.

This comes a day after a Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company Limited (NCWSC) staff wasa charged with forging a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) to secure employment in the company.

In a statement, the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said the suspect, Teresia Chepkemoi Chepkwony, was charged on Wednesday, August 20, before the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court.

According to the ODPP, the suspect forged a KCSE certificate, falsely claiming to have scored a mean grade of C+ in the exam.

"The court heard that on an unknown date and place within the Republic of Kenya, with the intent to deceive, she forged a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) in the name of Chepkemoi Teresia bearing a mean grade of C plus from Boron Secondary School, purporting it to be a genuine document issued to her by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC), a fact she knew to be false," read part of the statement.

The suspect was also charged with an offense of fraudulent acquisition of public property.

The court was told that Chepkemoi fraudulently acquired public property amounting to Ksh7,590,872 from the salary she earned between March 1, 2013, and December 31, 2023, at Nairobi Water.