A former employee of the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company Limited (NCWSC) has been charged with using a forged Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificate to secure employment at the state-owned utility.
Gladys Asembo appeared before the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court on Monday, facing multiple charges including fraudulent acquisition of public funds amounting to Ksh.6, 236,053, deceiving a principal, forgery, and uttering a false document.
According to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), investigations revealed that Asembo presented a falsified KCSE certificate purporting it to be a genuine document issued by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC). The forged certificate allegedly enabled her to serve as an ICT Assistant at NCWSC from June 27, 2012, to March 4, 2024.
EACC said in a statement that investigations established that the certificate she presented was falsified but purported to be a genuine document issued by KNEC.
After completing investigations, EACC forwarded the case file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who reviewed the evidence and approved the charges. Asembo denied all allegations and was released on a bond of Ksh.1 million with two sureties of a similar amount.
She had earlier been arrested on September 3, 2025, and freed on a cash bail of Ksh.25,000 pending arraignment on September 5, 2025. However, she failed to appear in court, prompting a warrant of arrest issued on September 17, 2025, which led to her eventual arraignment this week.
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The case comes amid a nationwide crackdown on forged academic and professional credentials in the public service. The Public Service Commission (PSC), in collaboration with EACC, the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA), and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), is conducting a comprehensive audit to verify staff qualifications and recover millions of shillings lost through fraudulent employment.
Preliminary findings show that 1,280 forged certificates have been identified among 28,000 cases reviewed, with state corporations and public universities among the worst affected. Head of Public Service Felix Koskei has warned that falsifying academic qualifications undermines meritocracy, public trust, and service delivery.
The government estimates that Ksh.460 million could be recovered through the ongoing verification exercise.
To curb the menace, KNEC had launched a digital certificate verification system allowing institutions to authenticate academic documents electronically. The platform, unveiled on July 4, 2025, by Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok at Mitihani House in Nairobi, is expected to enhance transparency and reduce fraud.
“With this system, we are ending the era of fake papers. Employers can now verify certificates in real time, which promotes transparency and speeds up recruitment,” said Bitok.
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The system aims to minimize human interference and shorten verification timelines, starting with the PSC before being extended to other sectors. Meanwhile, the KNQA is developing a centralized database for academic and professional qualifications to prevent manipulation and duplication of records.
These reforms are part of wider government efforts to tighten verification procedures, impose stiffer penalties for forgery, and strengthen inter-agency collaboration.
A 2025 PSC audit revealed widespread credential fraud across the public sector. Out of 168,667 officers reviewed, 1,019 were found to have used fake academic certificates to secure jobs or promotions. Of these, 449 civil servants were dismissed, while others resigned or retired to evade disciplinary action.
Further investigations uncovered 859 forged academic certificates and 160 fake professional qualifications, while more than 24,500 certificates remain unverified, exposing significant gaps in the recruitment process. The PSC reports that 73% of confirmed cases have already faced sanctions, with investigations ongoing for the remainder
By Obegi Malack
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