EACC pushes for tougher verification of academic certificates ahead of 2027 elections

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has urged universities, colleges, examination bodies, and regulators to strengthen examination and qualification verification systems to curb certificate forgery ahead of the 2027 General Elections.

Speaking during a Bungoma County Assembly workshop in Kisumu, EACC CEO Abdi Mohamud, through Western Regional Manager Eric Ngumbi, emphasized the need for strict due diligence to ensure only genuinely earned qualifications are presented for public office.

The Commission also reaffirmed its commitment to fighting academic fraud, including recovering salaries and benefits obtained through forged certificates.

The strict directives come just a day after commission on May 21, 2026, arrested a former employee of the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) as part of an ongoing crackdown on the use of forged academic certificates.

The suspect, Mercy Akinyi Ofuwa, is accused of using a forged Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificate to secure employment at the OAG.

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Investigations conducted by the Commission established that Ofuwa allegedly forged KCSE academic documents purportedly from Umina Secondary School and successfully used them in her application for employment at the Office of the Auditor General.

Upon conclusion of investigations, the Commission forwarded the case file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who approved charges of forgery, uttering a false document, and fraudulent acquisition of public property amounting to Ksh5,838,790, being salaries allegedly earned by the suspect during her employment at the OAG.

The suspect was later released on a Ksh50,000 cash bail pending arraignment, as the commission plan to file civil proceedings to recover all the salaries and benefits earned by the accused person based on the fake academic qualifications.

By Juma Ndigo