A 54-year-old Kenya Railways Corporation employee has been arrested in Changamwe, Mombasa County, following a two-year investigation into the alleged forgery and use of a fraudulent Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificate.
In a statement on Friday, August 14, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the suspect, Awange Oscar Akoth, was arrested by detectives after investigations linked him to the alleged use of a forged academic certificate in connection with his employment at Kenya Railways Corporation.
"Awange Oscar Akoth was nabbed by detectives following investigations into the alleged forgery and use of a fraudulent KCSE certificate in connection with his employment at the Kenya Railways Corporation," the statement read.
According to DCI, the case emerged after Kenya Railways conducted an authentication exercise targeting academic and professional certificates submitted by its employees.
"The case came to light after Kenya Railways undertook an authentication exercise of academic and professional certificates presented by its employees," the statement added.
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During the verification exercise, Akoth's KCSE certificate, which was purportedly issued by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), was flagged for further scrutiny. KNEC later confirmed that certificate number 624785, purportedly issued in 1993, was forged.
Detectives established that several grades on the certificate had allegedly been altered, with the changes affecting both individual subject grades and the overall mean grade.
"Detectives established that grades in three subjects had allegedly been altered from D (Plain) to C (Plain), while the mean grade had also been tampered with, changing it from D+ (Plus) to C (Plain)," the statement further read.
Following the investigations, detectives forwarded the case file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for directions on the appropriate charges against the suspect.
"Upon reviewing the evidence, the ODPP directed that Akoth be charged with Uttering a False Document, contrary to Section 353 of the Penal Code, and Fraudulent Acquisition of Public Property, contrary to Section 45(1)(a) of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act (ACECA)," the statement noted.
The suspect is currently undergoing processing and is expected to be arraigned before the Milimani Law Courts to face the charges.
This comes a week after detectives arrested a director of a college in Eldoret in connection with issuing forged academic certificates.
In a statement on Wednesday, August 5, DCI identified the suspect as Philip Kipsoi Kiyeng, the Director of Region Group College.
Kiyeng was arrested following investigations prompted by a complaint by the Public Service Commission (PSC) during the authentication of academic certificates.
"Detectives from the DCI Headquarters have arrested the director of a college in Eldoret over allegations of issuing forged academic certificates that left an unsuspecting victim jobless.
"The suspect, Philip Kipsoi Kiyeng, Director of Region Group College, was arrested following investigations triggered by a complaint from the Public Service Commission during the authentication of academic and professional certificates," the statement read.
According to DCI, the suspect allegedly misrepresented Region Group College as being affiliated with Moi University, convincing a student to enroll for a Diploma in Business Management.
The student was then issued with a diploma after completing the course, which he genuinely believed was authentic and subsequently presented to his employer.
However, the diploma was flagged during the PSC's verification exercise and was confirmed to be a forged certificate, leading to the victim's dismissal from employment.
After completing investigations against Kiyeng, the DCI forwarded the file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), which approved charges against the suspect.
The suspect is set to face charges of making a false document, contrary to Section 347(a) as read with Section 349 of the Penal Code, among other offences.
"Upon conclusion of investigations, the case file was forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), which approved charges against the suspect, including making a false document contrary to Section 347(a) as read with Section 349 of the Penal Code, among other offences," the statement added.
