Already, all heads of human resource management in the ministries, State departments and agencies have received the letter and members of staff have been asked to submit their original certificates for scrutiny
Barely a month after the Public Service Commission (PSC) directed State institutions to undertake an audit of academic and professional certificates of employees hired in the last ten years, some of the affected staff are in panic mode. The Weekly Vision can authoritatively reveal how some of them are even contemplating early retirement or even resignation.
In a circular dated October 19, 2022, the PSC chairperson Anthony Muchiri said the directive affects ministries, departments and State corporations and that the institutions are required to submit their respective reports by January 31, 2023.
Sources privy to the on-goings at state corporations revealed that some staff with forged academic and professional certificates are busy finding ways out of their respective institutions considering that if they have to wait for the audit then they are likely to be arrested and even face jail terms. They may end up being forced to return all the monies earned unlawfully. Already, all heads of human resource management in the ministries, State departments and agencies have received the letter and members of staff have been asked to submit their original certificates for scrutiny.
Last month, two government officials attached to the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (Rerec) were jailed for six years by the anti-corruption court in Kisumu for forging documents to secure State jobs four years ago.
Pauline Anyango Otieno and Lilian Akoth Ochieng were found guilty of forging education certificates alleging that they were issued by Mount Kenya University (MKU) and Kenya Institute of Management (KIMs) respectively to gain employment and promotions as officers in the procurement department at the State Corporation in 2018.
Many of the targeted parastatals and state corporations suspected to be having staff with forged academic certificates are Kenya Power, Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation, Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Railways, and Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority among others.
