The Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) has flagged over 10,000 fake certificates from various government departments and agencies as part of an ongoing qualifications authentication exercise.
The revelations come after the state agency received 47,000 files from approximately 400 government institutions following a 2022 circular mandating the verification of employee credentials.
KNQA Chairman, Stanley Kiptis, confirmed that the 10,000 flagged files have been forwarded back to the respective institutions for further action.
Kiptis expressed concerns over the slow pace of the verification exercise urging institutions that have not yet submitted their files to expedite the process.
He emphasized the importance of the exercise, saying it targets to eliminate unqualified individuals from public office, ensuring integrity in the public service sector.
The preliminary report, he said, was a pointer to the situation in public service, adding that KNQA expects to have a clearer picture of the extent of fake certifications in the public sector by the end of the year, when the exercise is projected to be 80 per cent complete.
To tame the vice, Kiptis said KNQA, was working closely with the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders to develop a national database of all issued certificates.
He made the remarks in Kisumu during a public participation forum on the proposed KNQA General Regulations 2025.
