Gabriel Bukachi Chapia, a former Nairobi senatorial aspirant in the 2017 general elections, has been handed a two and half-year jail term or a fine of Sh150,000 after pleading guilty to forging academic certificates to secure senior public service jobs.
In sentence read by the Senior Principal Magistrate Charles Ondieki of the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court, Chapia was directed to refund Ksh3.9 million earned fraudulently from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) and the Kenya Investment Authority (KenInvest). The amount includes a 12 percent interest penalty.
Under a plea bargain agreement, Chapia was ordered to pay Ksh2 million within seven days and settle the remaining balance in quarterly instalments of Ksh239,637.82. Failure to comply will attract an additional 12-month prison sentence.
The court imposed a fine of Ksh30, 000 for each of the five counts, with a default penalty of six months imprisonment per count.
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Chapia, admitted to falsifying a Master’s degree in Information Technology from Daystar University, a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Maseno University, and other certificates from the Catholic Diocese of Nakuru.
Investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) revealed that he used the forged documents to secure top roles at MTRH in 2009, KenInvest in 2010, and later at Nairobi County Government in 2014.
Magistrate Ondieki acknowledged Chapia’s remorse and his status as a first-time offender but emphasized the gravity of the offences and their impact on public trust.
EACC welcomed the ruling, describing it as a major win in the fight against academic fraud and misuse of public resources. The case is among the longest-running certificate forgery investigations in Kenya’s public sector and has spanned for almost 9 years.
By Masaki Enock
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