Rampant Credential Fraud and Unpaid Salaries Rock Kenya’s Public Sector

NAIROBI, Kenya— Kenya’s public service is under fresh scrutiny following revelations of widespread academic fraud and financial mismanagement, according to a new government audit.

The findings from a government audit paint a picture of systemic loopholes in verifying staff credentials and upholding basic employment standards.

The audit, conducted for the 2023/2024 financial year, examined 168,667 public servants and discovered that 859 officers had fake academic certificates, while 160 were found with forged professional documents.

In total, 1,019 officers were flagged for fraudulent qualifications.

Worryingly, over 14pc of staff, about 24,559 officers, held academic documents that could not be authenticated, and an overwhelming 84.9pc (143,249 officers) had no verification status indicated at all.

“Findings revealed critical gaps in both compliance and enforcement,” the report notes, highlighting a broader failure in upholding professional ethics across public institutions.

Despite the severity of these findings, only 744 of the affected individuals (73pc) have faced disciplinary measures.

Another 79 cases remain under investigation, while 15 individuals have yet to face any consequences.

The audit also exposed a troubling payroll crisis with 2,066 public servants, most of them based at public universities, who went unpaid during the financial year.

The unpaid salaries amount to Sh2.49 billion, with Sh2.08 billion owed to university staff alone.

Institutions attributed the non-payment to financial constraints affecting 72pc of the affected workers and pending disciplinary issues in 18pc of the cases.