NAIROBI, Kenya – The government has launched a sweeping verification exercise for all trainers and staff in higher learning institutions to weed out employees who used forged academic or professional certificates to secure jobs.
In a circular dated October 3, 2025, the Principal Secretary for the State Department of Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Dr. Esther Muoria, directed principals of national polytechnics, technical institutes, and vocational colleges to ensure that every employee — regardless of when they joined service — authenticates their academic credentials.
“In compliance with the Public Service Commission directive, you are hereby instructed to notify all staff within your respective institutions of this mandatory requirement and to provide necessary administrative support to facilitate the authentication exercise,” Dr. Muoria said.
She warned that failure to comply could attract disciplinary action as outlined in the Public Service Commission regulations.
Nationwide Crackdown on Fake Certificates
The directive follows a Public Service Commission audit that exposed widespread forgery among public servants, with some staff using counterfeit documents from secondary schools, TVET institutions, and universities — both local and foreign.
Initially launched in 2022, the audit focused on employees hired after 2012. However, Dr. Muoria said the new phase will cover all officers, as the problem has “damaged Kenya’s long-held reputation for credible academic standards.”
The verification must be completed by October 18, 2025, and will include the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), and all diplomas or higher diplomas issued by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).
Staff are required to confirm their results through the official KNEC portal, http://qmis.knec.ac.ke, while university certificates must be submitted directly to the issuing institutions for confidential verification.
KNEC has offered discounted rates for the authentication process to encourage compliance.
EACC Steps Up Anti-Forgery Drive
The move comes as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) intensifies a nationwide campaign against academic fraud in the public service.
In January, five public officials were arraigned for using forged documents to obtain promotions, while in May, Head of Public Service Felix Koskei warned that falsifying academic papers “strikes at the heart of integrity, competence, and meritocracy” in government.
According to EACC data, 70 per cent of certificate forgery cases originate from state corporations and senior government agencies.
Out of 53,000 documents audited across 91 public institutions, 1,208 were found to be fake.
Since 2022, EACC has investigated 549 forgery cases, with 85 files approved for prosecution and 13 resulting in convictions.
The agency has also vowed to recover salaries and benefits obtained fraudulently through forged qualifications.
Dr. Muoria urged institutional heads to act swiftly to ensure full compliance.
“Your cooperation and immediate action in implementing this directive is highly appreciated,” she said.
The verification exercise is among the most extensive in Kenya’s public service history and is expected to reinforce merit-based hiring and promotion in higher education institutions.
