NAIROBI, Kenya – A former ICT Assistant at the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) has been convicted for fraudulently acquiring more than Ksh.7.1 million using a forged academic certificate.
Nairobi Anti-Corruption Principal Magistrate Charles Ondieki found the accused, Barasa, guilty on three counts—fraudulent acquisition of public property, uttering a false document, and deceiving a principal.
The court heard that Barasa forged a Diploma in Information Technology certificate, allegedly from Eldoret Polytechnic, which he used to secure employment at NCWSC.
Through the position, he unlawfully obtained salaries and benefits amounting to Ksh.7,123,963.
In his ruling, Magistrate Ondieki fined Barasa Ksh.100,000 for fraudulent acquisition of public property and imposed a mandatory fine of Ksh.14,347,926—twice the amount illegally obtained. In default, he will serve two years in prison.
On the second count of forgery, Barasa was acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
However, he was convicted on the third count of uttering a false document and fined Ksh.100,000 or serve one year in prison in default.
He was also fined Ksh.100,000 on the fourth count of deceiving a principal, with a similar default sentence of one year.
Should Barasa fail to pay the fines, the default prison terms will run consecutively.
The magistrate noted that the case highlighted the dangers of falsifying academic credentials to infiltrate public institutions. Barasa has 14 days to appeal both the conviction and the sentence.
