Two former public officers in Kenya have been taken to court over allegations that they used forged academic certificates to secure public jobs. Kenneth Mwiti Kiogora, a former Second Clerk Assistant at the Kiambu County Assembly, and Daniel Mukoya Olando, a former employee of the Kenya Airports Authority, were arrested on Wednesday and separately presented before the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court on Thursday.
According to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Mwiti is accused of forging a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education certificate and presenting it as an authentic document issued by the Kenya National Examinations Council. The commission's preliminary investigations established that Mwiti allegedly used the certificate to secure employment at the county assembly and subsequently acquired public property through salaries paid during his employment.
Mwiti faces four counts linked to the alleged creation and use of the certificate as well as the alleged acquisition of public resources. The court released him on a cash bail of Sh150,000 or a Sh1 million bond, with a surety required for the bond. In the second case, the EACC accused Mukoya of forging a Bachelor of Commerce degree certificate in Accounting and presenting it to KAA in support of his appointment as an Acting Fire Supervisor.
Mukoya faces charges of knowingly using a false or misleading document, forgery, uttering a false document and providing false information. He was granted a cash bail of Sh100,000 or a Sh500,000 bond, with a surety of a similar amount. The EACC is seeking to recover millions of shillings allegedly paid to the two former public officers as salaries.
The EACC has previously said more than 2,000 public officers have been alleged to hold fake academic certificates, with action taken at different stages of investigation and law enforcement. The commission has also called on public institutions to verify academic and professional certificates before employing people or considering them for career progression.
The latest prosecutions form part of a wider EACC push to investigate cases in which public officers are alleged to have used false academic qualifications to obtain jobs or advance their careers. In January 2025, the commission said five public officials had been taken to court within five days over alleged academic certificate forgery linked to employment or career advancement at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company.
The EACC said it would file civil proceedings to recover the salaries and other benefits allegedly received through the disputed certificates. The cases will now proceed through the courts, where the allegations against the two former public officers will be determined. Mwiti and Mukoya remain presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Key points
- The EACC is seeking to recover Sh6,283,631.30 from Mwiti, allegedly paid as salaries during his employment at the Kiambu County Assembly.
- Over 2,000 public officers have been alleged to hold fake academic certificates.
- The EACC will institute civil proceedings to recover the salaries and other benefits allegedly obtained through the use of the fraudulent academic qualifications.
