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Two former employees of IEBC have been convicted after investigations by EACC established that they used forged academic certificates to secure employment nd career advancement in the public service.
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The EACC said the convictions reaffirm its commitment to protecting the integrity of public sector recruitment and promotions by cracking down on the use of fake academic credentials.
Two former employees of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) have been convicted after investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) established that they used forged academic certificates to secure employment and career advancement in the public service.
The EACC said the convictions reaffirm its commitment to protecting the integrity of public sector recruitment and promotions by cracking down on the use of fake academic credentials.
On July 2, the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court convicted former IEBC Constituency Office Clerk Purity Mwaniki Wanja after adopting a plea bargain agreement. Investigations established that she forged a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificate, falsely claiming it had been issued by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), and used it to secure employment at the electoral commission in July 2012.
Wanja pleaded guilty to charges of fraudulently acquiring public employment, forgery and uttering a forged certificate. The court ordered her to pay a total of Ksh1.6 million, comprising Ksh1.5 million in compensation and fines of Ksh50,000 each for the forgery and uttering offences.
In a separate case, the same court on June 29, 2026, convicted former IEBC employee Luka Musamali for using a forged university degree certificate to obtain a promotion within the commission.
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According to the EACC, Musamali presented a fake Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies (Public Administration) degree certificate purportedly issued by Moi University to facilitate his promotion from Constituency Office Clerk to Constituency Elections Assistant.
Following a full trial, the court found him guilty of obtaining employment by deception and uttering a false document but acquitted him of the forgery charge. He was fined a total of Ksh110,000 or, in default, serve the prescribed custodial sentences.
The anti-graft agency said the two convictions send a strong warning to individuals seeking to gain employment or promotions through fraudulent academic qualifications.
“The convictions underscore the Commission’s unwavering commitment to protecting the integrity of public service recruitment and career progression,” the EACC said in a statement.
The commission further warned that presenting forged academic or professional certificates is a criminal offence and vowed to continue investigating and prosecuting those involved in such fraudulent schemes.
By Frank Mugwe
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