The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) says it is investigating more than 150 cases of academic certificate forgery by public service employees.

Further, it has called on employees and higher learning institutions in the country to employ stronger background checks and internal controls to curb what it terms a rapidly growing phenomenon deeply rooted in the country.

EACC Director of Preventive Services Vincent Okong’o averred that the Commission is seized of the matter and working round the clock to mitigate it.

“In some cases, accused persons have been jailed or fined while in others, EACC has been granted orders by the court to recover all the salaries and benefits earned based on forged academic certificates,” he said.

The Commission has also vowed to step up its aggression against corrupt individuals in the country, promising to go for all unscrupulous individuals regardless of their career in society.

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EACC chairperson David Oginde noted that the commission is going for those people who use their offices to steal public resources.

“We will go for the small fish because small fish are dangerous. They eat in small bits but the damage is enormous,” said Oginde.

 Oginde also called on politicians to desist from politicizing the war against graft, adding that corruption is universal.

On his part, the Prime Cabinet Secretary advised politicians to cooperate with the investigative agencies to see that ill-gotten wealth is repatriated to the state.

“If you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to worry about. Let the investigative agencies do their work because they are professionals,” he said.

The commission requested funding through its chairperson, who expressed the opinion that having more resources would make it simpler for the EACC to handle corruption matters successfully.

Even as it launched its five-year strategic plan that will direct it from 2023 to 2028, the EACC claims to have a deficit of Kes 15.62 billion, which it has asked the government to allocate for the smooth running of its operations.