The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested a Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) employee on suspicion of forging an academic diploma to gain employment with the agency.

In a statement issued on Thursday, EACC stated that its investigations indicated that one Javason Kimemia Maina falsified a KCSE certificate from Kimuri Secondary School to obtain his post.

PHOTO | COURTESY integrity house

The EACC then recommended to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) that Maina be charged with fraudulently acquiring public property worth Ksh—293,240 in wages, forgery, and uttering a false document.

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The DPP approved the charges, and Maina was brought before the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court.

"He was released on a bond of Ksh.700,000 surety of the same amount or a cash bail of Ksh.400,000," according to the EACC.

The matter is scheduled to be discussed on February 26, 2024.

This comes amid a stepped-up crackdown on public servants who obtained their posts using forged diplomas, according to a study released on February 13 by the Public Service Commission (PSC), which identified 2,067 forgery incidents in public institutions.

Most people work for the Ministry of Interior, Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), and the Geothermal and Development Corporation, a parastatal under the Ministry of Energy.

The report has been submitted to the DCI and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for further action.

"Action will be taken against any culpable head of a state agency involved in attempts to protect academic cheats," the EACC stated.