A former Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) Revenue Collection Officer has been fined Ksh4.7 million after being found guilty of securing employment using a forged university degree certificate.
In a statement on Wednesday, July 8, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) said the accused, Okandah William John, forged a Bachelor of Commerce degree certificate purportedly issued by the University of Nairobi.
Okandah then used the fake degree certificate to secure employment at Nairobi Water.
“Investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) established that Okandah William John forged a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting Option) degree certificate purportedly issued by the University of Nairobi and used it to secure employment at NCWSC,” read the statement in part.
According to EACC, Okandah unlawfully earned Ksh4,749,597 in salaries between September 3, 2016, and November 30, 2023.
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The former Nairobi Water employee was found guilty by the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court and ordered to pay a fine of Ksh4,749,597 or serve two years in jail in default.
“The Milimani Anti-Corruption Court convicted Okandah and sentenced him to pay a mandatory fine of KSh4,749,597, being the amount fraudulently acquired, or serve two years' imprisonment in default,” EACC stated.
The court also fined Okandah Ksh 100,000 for each of the offences of fraudulent acquisition of public property, uttering a false document, and deceiving a principal.
“The conviction underscores the EACC's commitment to safeguarding public resources and ensuring that individuals who obtain public employment through fraudulent means are held accountable in accordance with the law,” the commission added.
This comes days after two former employees of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) were convicted in separate cases involving forged academic certificates used to obtain employment and career advancement.
The convictions stem from EACC’s investigations that uncovered fraudulent academic documents presented by the two former officials.
According to EACC, one of the cases involved Purity Mwaniki Wanja, a former IEBC Constituency Office Clerk, who was convicted by the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court on July 2 after the court adopted a Plea Bargain Agreement.
The agency said she forged a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificate purportedly issued by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).
Wanja later used the fake certificate to secure employment with the IEBC in July 2012.
In a separate matter, the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court on June 29 convicted Luka Mukimi Musamali, another former IEBC employee, for using a forged university degree certificate to secure a promotion within the commission.
EACC investigations found that Musamali submitted a falsified academic certificate while applying for promotion from Constituency Office Clerk to Constituency Elections Assistant.
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