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Kenya Railways, KMTC, MTRH sack 202 staff over fake academic papers

Fake papers

According to PSC, a good number of civil servants secured jobs and promotions using forged academic and professional papers.

Photo credit: File

What you need to know:

  • Kenya Revenue Authority and the Postal Corporation of Kenya are each scrutinising nine cases of forged academic documents.
  • 58 staff among those who were found to have faked their academic papers opted to resign in the year to June 2023, PSC says.

Kenya Railways (KR), Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) top the list of State entities that sacked 202 out of 650 staff, who were found to have forged academic documents to secure jobs.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) says 58 other staff who were found to have faked their academic papers opted to resign in the year to June 2023.

The report shows that a good number of civil servants secured jobs and promotions using forged academic and professional papers.

KR kicked out 55 staff among them two who purported to be holders’ of degree certificates, KMTC sacked 35 staff members while Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (Kemsa) sent parking 16 staff.

The Geothermal Development Company sacked 15 employees over forgery of academic papers while National Construction Authority and Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service each dismissed three staff members.

The entrance of Kenya Medical Training College, Nairobi.  

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

“Arising from the findings of the authentication exercise, 58 officers resigned, six took early retirement, 181 were dismissed from service, 252 had ongoing disciplinary action, and one was deceased," Mr Simon Rotich, the PSC Chief Executive said in a report to Parliament.

"There was no action taken against four, and there was no information provided with regard to 242 certificates found to have been forged,” Mr Simon Rotich, the PSC Chief Executive said in a report to Parliament.

“Most of the forged certificates reported were from State corporations and Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies at 76.3 percent, and ministries and State departments at 17.9 percent," Mr Rotich added.

PSC, through the Circulars Ref.Nos.PSC.3/1/1/IV;32/35 and Ref. No: PSC/ADM/13(42) required organisations to authenticate academic and professional certificates used by officers to secure appointments and promotions.

The commission directed the State organisations to terminate the service of any officer found to have used forged certificates to secure appointment or promotion.

Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County. 

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

According to the PSC, 346 or 63 percent of the State institutions authenticated the academic certificates of their officers.

The number of officers whose academic certificates were authenticated was 142,188 or 56.1 per cent out of which 67,764 (47.7 per cent) were cleared as valid, 625 (0.4 per cent) were established to be forged and the validity of 37,272 (26.2 per cent) authenticated certificates was not indicated. Certificates for 111,130 (43.9 per cent) officers had not been authenticated.

KPC topped the list of institutions where 58 public officers opted to resign on account of forged academic papers.

At the Local Authorities Provident Fund, three degree and three diploma holders resigned.

At the National Environment Management Authority, one diploma and five KCSE certificate holders quit their jobs while Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation saw one master’s degree, one degree, two diploma and one KCSE certificate holders resign.

Currently, Kenya Railways and the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) are each processing 27 cases of forged documents that are at various stages of disciplinary process.

The Kenya Revenue Authority and the Postal Corporation of Kenya are each scrutinising nine cases involving staff who forged academic documents to secure employment.