- Joseph Munyao has been charged with forging a University of Nairobi degree and a CPA certificate, and has denied all the charges before the Machakos Law Courts.
- The EACC has accused Munyao of using the disputed credentials to secure appointment as Machakos County’s Chief Officer for Industry and Innovation, earning over Sh1.5 million in salaries.
- The court has released Munyao on a Sh1 million cash bail, while the EACC has said it will pursue separate civil proceedings to recover the disputed earnings.
A former Machakos County Government chief officer has been arraigned and charged with allegedly forging academic certificates and using them to secure a senior public service position.
Joseph Mutwiwa Munyao appeared before the Machakos Law Courts following his arrest by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) on August 31, 2026. He denied all the charges. The court granted him a cash bail of Sh1 million or an alternative bond of Sh2 million, with a surety of a similar amount.
According to the EACC, investigations established that Munyao allegedly forged a Bachelor of Commerce degree certificate in Accounting, purportedly issued by the University of Nairobi in 2004, as well as a Certified Public Accountants (CPA) Final Examination Certificate dated June 2019.
ALSO READ: Grade 10 selection crisis: KEMIS hitches stall placement of 1.2 million learners
The commission alleges that he used the disputed credentials to secure appointment as Chief Officer for Industry and Innovation in the Machakos County Government, a position he held between January and November 2023, earning Sh1,585,967.90 in salaries during that period.
Munyao faces charges of fraudulent acquisition of public property, uttering a false document and forgery of academic certificates. The EACC said it completed investigations into the matter and forwarded the inquiry file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who approved the prosecution. The commission added that it will separately pursue civil proceedings to recover the salaries and other benefits allegedly obtained through the use of the disputed academic qualifications.
The case has drawn renewed attention to the vetting and verification of academic credentials presented by applicants for public service positions, particularly senior appointments where possession of relevant qualifications is a key requirement.
By Godfrey Wamalwa
Get more stories from our website: Education News
To write to us or offer feedback, you can reach us at: editor@educationnews.co.ke
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
