Africa-Press – Kenya. Four public officers were on Wednesday, October 30, arrested by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) over using fake certificates to secure government jobs.
Confirming the arrests, EACC’s Spokesperson Eric Ngumbi noted the four were found working with fake academic papers.
Two of the four suspects were nabbed on Wednesday at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). One worked as an assistant elections officer while the other was stationed in the commission’s revenue allocation department.
The third one was arrested at the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority and the fourth one at the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company.
Upon their arrest, the suspects were held at the EACC Integrity Centre Police Station awaiting to appear at the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court on October 31.
The arrests come amid an ongoing crackdown on fake academic certificates in the country by EACC. The Commission announced early this week to conduct a nationwide crackdown.
There has been an upsurge in forgery cases with people securing government jobs with fake academic certificates. The Commission disclosed that high-ranking officers including sitting Members of Parliament, top county officers, parastatal heads and medical officers are under investigation.
A quarterly report by the EACC, indicate that there has been a rise in the number of people using fake degrees and diploma certificates to land high-profile jobs, especially in the government.
Public Service Commission’s (PSC) audit estimates that across 331 government institutions, there are more than 2,000 Kenyans who used fake academic documents to land their jobs.
The EACC has stepped up its crackdown to arrest public officers holding fake academic papers in a bid to rid the menace from the government parastatals.
According to a list released by PSC, in the State Department for Internal Security and National Administration, there were 103 forged academic certificates this year.
Among them are 78 Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) certificates, 23 fake diploma certificates and 2 forged degree certificates.
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