Three arrested in fake academic certificates crackdown

Muraya Kamunde
3 Min Read

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested three officials as part of an ongoing crackdown on the use of forged academic certificates.

The suspects, Joshua Attuah Omia and Thomas Mbonje Bandari of Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company Limited (NCWSC), and Silas Musasa Masambu of Kaimosi Friends University, are accused of using fake academic documents to obtain employment in their respective institutions.

Investigations by the Commission established that Omia and Bandari forged Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificates and presented them as genuine documents issued by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) to secure employment at NCWSC.

Upon conclusion of investigations, the Commission forwarded the files to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who approved charges of forgery, uttering a false document, and fraudulent acquisition of public property amounting to Ksh 5,909,037.10 and Ksh 9,485,177.96, respectively, being salaries allegedly paid to the suspects by NCWSC.

The two suspects were arrested on 11th May 2026 and arraigned before the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court, where they denied all charges.

They were each released on a cash bail of Ksh 300,000 or a bond of Ksh 1 million with a surety of a similar amount.

The matters are scheduled for directions on 26th May 2026.

In a separate case, investigations established that Silas Musasa Masambu allegedly forged a Diploma certificate purportedly from Kenya College of Commerce and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree purportedly from Zetech University, which he used to secure employment at Kaimosi Friends University.

The suspect was arrested on Tuesday at his home in Cheptulu, Vihiga County, processed at Kakamega Police Station, and will be arraigned before the Kakamega Law Courts tomorrow, 13th May 2026.

He is also facing charges of forgery, uttering a false document, and fraudulent acquisition of public property amounting to Ksh 2,511,672, being salary allegedly paid to him by Kaimosi Friends University.

In addition to pursuing criminal prosecution, the Commission will institute civil proceedings to recover salaries, benefits, and other emoluments unlawfully obtained through the use of fraudulent academic qualifications.

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