Nairobi City County has launched a fresh crackdown on fake documents in the public service, ordering more than 17,000 Nairobi City County employees to submit their academic and professional certificates for vetting.
County Public Service Board (CPSB) wrote that the exercise, which kicked off last Friday and runs through December 19, 2025, is in line with a directive from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and a memo from the Public Service Commission (PSC).
“The Board is in receipt of a letter Ref EACC.7/10/1 VOL XXV (25) dated 21st August 2025 from the EACC, quoting PSC Memo Ref. PSC/ADM/VOL.XIV (83) dated 11th March 2024 requiring the Board to undertake an audit for academic and professional certificates for officers within the County Public Service,” the circular stated.
In the memo, CPSB chairman Thomas Kasoa directed all staff to submit their academic papers through their respective department heads.
“In view of the above, kindly forward us the personal files for all officers in the respective sector as per the above schedule. Also forward any other verification report that has been conducted by the Public Service Sector for our further action,” he instructed.
The circular was addressed to the County Secretary and Head of County Public Service, with copies shared with Governor Johnson Sakaja, Deputy Governor Njoroge Muchiri, and all chief officers, including the county attorney.
The vetting drive is part of a broader crackdown on fake academic documents within government institutions. Last year, the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) launched investigations into a certificate forgery syndicate that has cost taxpayers nearly half a billion shillings in salaries and allowances paid to individuals who secured jobs with fake papers.
“The commission received and has taken up for investigation a total of 549 reports of forgery of academic and professional certificates. The amount of money we are looking to recover in this exercise is in the region of Sh460 million,” EACC CEO Abdi Mohamud said recently.
At the same time, the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) has been running a parallel verification process. In April this year, the agency revealed that it had flagged over 10,000 fake certificates across government departments and agencies after reviewing 47,000 personnel files from about 400 public institutions.
Head of Public Service Felix Koskei has also raised alarm, warning that fake qualifications threaten governance and national development.
“Appointments and promotions must espouse fair competition and merit, yet we are witnessing falsified certificates across sectors, from national and county governments to parastatals and independent offices,” Koskei said during the 2025 Ethics and Integrity Conference in Nairobi.
He also stated that a multi-agency task force comprising the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), EACC, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), and the KNQA has been constituted to handle the crisis.
