2 foreigners among four suspects arrested in sting operation targeting fake university » Capital News
NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 14 – Two foreigners are among four suspects arrested in a sting operation targeting a fake university issuing master’s and PhD degrees in Mombasa.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the suspects were arrested at the fake institution temporarily accommodated at the White Sands Hotel.
“The suspects have been arraigned before Shanzu Law Courts where they were charged with Conferring Degrees Without Accreditation of Foreign Universities Contrary to Section 28(2) as read with Section 5 of the Universities Act,” the DCI stated.
After gaining credible intel of the group’s dubious activity, detectives walked in on an award ceremony for the degrees.
Three Master of Business Administration (Leadership and Management) and two PhDs in Leadership (Hon. Causa) were some of the fraudulently offered degrees.
This comes in the backdrop of arrests of public officials who allegedly forged academic certificates to secure job opportunities, which is contrary to the law.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in October last year arrested and arraigned a former senior official of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on charges of forgery of academic certificates.
Caroline Sabiri Manyange who was a former Manager for Boundaries Delimitation at IEBC, forged her academic certificates and used the same on April 4, 2012, to secure employment at the electoral body.
The anti-corruption authority established that Caroline forged a Master of Arts (Population Studies) degree certificate purporting it to be genuine from the University of Nairobi on 9th May 2004.
Subsequently, she used the same to obtain a promotion at IEBC thereby earning a cumulative salary and benefits amounting to over Ksh.37 million, which constitutes fraudulent acquisition of public property.
Similarly, the Commission’s Spokesperson Eric Ngumbi confirmed arresting four public officers working in different government firms including the Commission on Revenue Allocation while holding fake degrees.
An audit report by the Public Service Commission (PSC) across 331 government institutions showed that more than 2,000 Kenyans used fake academic and professional documents to get jobs in different ministries and parastatals.
“It also affects the global competitiveness of our graduates at a time when the government is reaching out to various countries, with a view to exporting labour,” said PSC chairperson Muchiri Anthony.
EACC similarly arrested a Garissa University official for allegedly forging academic certificates to secure employment and promotion in the same institution in 2023.
Abdihakim Dagane Hassan reportedly falsified a bachelor’s degree certificate to be employed as a Clerical Officer in 2015 and later enrolled for a Master’s degree and was promoted to the position of Computer Technologist in 2019.
The commission alleged that the accused forged an undergraduate degree in Business Information Technology from Mount Kenya University and later a Master’s degree in Business Administration at Kenyatta University.
In January last year, EACC arrested Dolal Mohamed Mohamud, the Managing Director, Garissa Water and Sewage Company who forged his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) Certificate to secure admission for a University Degree.