The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has successfully prosecuted a Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company employee for presenting forged academic credentials.
In a statement released on Friday, the commission confirmed that Mr. Joseph Kihara Kaburugu has been convicted for uttering a forged academic certificate in his bid to gain employment at the water utility company.
EACC investigations uncovered that Mr. Kaburugu had submitted a counterfeit Diploma Certificate in Sports Science Management, allegedly issued by Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).
Following the completion of investigations, the case was forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who authorized charges of forgery and uttering a false document.
Mr. Kaburugu was brought before Chief Magistrate Hon. Harrison Barasa at Milimani Anti-Corruption Court on January 21, 2025, where he entered a not guilty plea to all charges brought against him.
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After conducting a full trial, the court on September 30, 2025, delivered its verdict, finding him guilty of uttering a false document in violation of Section 353 of the Penal Code. However, the court acquitted him of the forgery charge under Section 215 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
On October 2, 2025, the court handed down a sentence requiring the accused to pay a fine of Ksh100,000, or serve a one-year imprisonment term in case of default.
Another Nairobi Water official was charged on August 20 with similar offenses involving the forgery of academic certificates.
Teresia Chepkemoi Chepkwony, a revenue collection assistant, technician, and marketing assistant at Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company Limited, faced multiple charges before the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court.
The prosecution alleged that Chepkwony forged a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) showing a mean grade of C plus from Boron Secondary School, falsely claiming it was a legitimate document issued by the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC).
She also faced charges of fraudulent acquisition of public property, with prosecutors alleging that between March 1, 2013, and December 31, 2023, she unlawfully obtained Ksh7,590,872 in salaries from the water company after securing employment using a forged KCSE certificate.
Additional charges included uttering a false document and deceiving the principal. The allegations were that on September 18, 2017, she fraudulently presented the forged certificate to Titus Tuitoek, the human resource manager, while completing a personnel record form.
Chepkwony pleaded not guilty to all charges before Principal Magistrate C.N. Ondieki.
The court granted her release on a bond of Ksh500,000 with one surety of the same amount, or alternatively, cash bail of Ksh100,000 along with two suitable contact persons whose details would be recorded by the court registry.
