The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested a former employee of the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) in connection with the alleged use of forged academic certificates to secure public employment.
In a statement on Thursday, May 21, the commission said the arrest was part of its ongoing crackdown on individuals using fake academic qualifications to obtain jobs in public institutions.
"The suspect, Mercy Akinyi Ofuwa, is accused of using a forged Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificate to secure employment at the OAG," the statement read.
According to EACC, investigations revealed that the suspect allegedly presented fake academic documents during her application process at the Office of the Auditor General.
"Investigations conducted by the Commission established that Ms Ofuwa allegedly forged KCSE academic documents purportedly from Umina Secondary School and successfully used them in her application for employment at the Office of the Auditor General," the statement added.
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The anti-graft agency said the case file was forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) after investigations were completed, leading to the approval of several charges against the suspect.
"Upon conclusion of investigations, the Commission forwarded the case file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who approved charges of forgery, uttering a false document, and fraudulent acquisition of public property amounting to Ksh5,838,790, being salaries allegedly earned by the suspect during her employment at the OAG," the statement further read.
EACC disclosed that the suspect has since been released on a cash bail of Ksh50,000 pending her arraignment in court.
The commission also announced plans to recover the salaries and benefits allegedly obtained fraudulently during the suspect’s time in public service.
"EACC will also file civil proceedings to recover all the salaries and benefits earned by the accused person based on the fake academic qualifications," the statement concluded.
This comes days after a former employee of Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) was charged at the Kakamega Anti-Corruption Court over allegations of forging academic documents to secure employment and fraudulently earning more than Ksh7.5 million in salaries and benefits.
In a statement on Wednesday, May 13, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) said the suspect, Florah Lipesa Koloba, was arrested and arraigned before the Kakamega Law Courts on Tuesday, May 12.
The agency said the accused is facing charges of forgery, uttering a false document, deceiving a principal, and fraudulent acquisition of public property amounting to Ksh7,584,574, which prosecutors say she earned during her employment at the university.
In their statement, the commission detailed the alleged forged documents and how they were reportedly used to obtain employment.
"Investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) established that the suspect, Ms. Florah Lipesa Koloba, allegedly forged a Diploma certificate in Community Health Nursing from Kenya Medical Training College, a Nursing Certificate from the Nursing Council, and a KCSE certificate from Matende Secondary School. She is accused of using the forged documents to obtain employment at MMUST," the statement read in part.
The commission stated that after completing investigations, the case file was forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for review and approval of charges.
"Upon conclusion of investigations, the Commission forwarded the case file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who concurred with the recommendation to institute criminal proceedings against the suspect," the statement added.
According to EACC, the accused denied all charges during her court appearance and was released on bail pending further proceedings.
"The accused denied all charges and was released on a cash bail of Ksh500,000 or a bond of Ksh1 million with a surety of a similar amount," the statement further read.
The EACC also indicated that it plans to pursue recovery of the money allegedly obtained through the fraudulent scheme.
"The Commission will, in addition to criminal prosecution, institute civil proceedings to recover salaries and benefits unlawfully obtained through the use of fraudulent academic qualifications," the statement concluded.
