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KNEC enters deals to nab job seekers with fake academic papers
28th October, 2025 11:29 AM
Public Service Commissioner Francis Meja has announced plans underway by the Public Service Commission to crack down on fake academic papers among job seekers.
While speaking on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, the PSC chairman revealed that the commission has signed an agreement with the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) in a bid to crack down on fake academic papers before the hiring phase.
According to the PSC Chairman, the commission is committed to verifying all academic certificates for interested and qualified candidates for various public service roles during the hiring process.
“What we are doing as a commission is we have actually signed an agreement with the Kenya National Examination Council, such that before even your appointment, we will verify your certificates,” he noted.
Commissioner Meja further noted how the government is working towards interfacing the PSC’s systems such that there will be no manual intervention during the verification of certificates.
Likewise, he revealed that the Kenya National Examination Council has given PSC access to the database so that the Public Service Commission can just pick information as it is.
“We want to interface our systems so that there is no manual intervention in the verification of certificates. The database is there; the Kenya National Examination Council has given us access to the database so that we can just pick information as it is,” the PSC chairman announced.
Why fake academic papers
His remarks follow an explanation as to why most Kenyans fake academic papers in Kenya’s public service, linking unemployment stress in the country.
According to Public Service Commission (PSC) Chairman Francis Meja, due to the high rate of unemployment in Kenya, many Kenyans are tempted to use shortcuts to obtain access to job opportunities.
“There has been an over-reliance on academic certificates to procure job positions, because there is serious unemployment in this country; people are tempted to use shortcuts to obtain or to get access to jobs,” he said.
Fake papers concern
His remarks come at a time when a pervasive crisis of academic fraud is rocking Kenya’s civil service, as a growing number of workers are being unmasked for securing and maintaining their positions in government through the use of forged academic papers.
This systemic deception, which has allowed unqualified individuals to infiltrate crucial government roles, raises serious questions about the integrity and quality of public services taxpayers receive after paying “an arm and a leg.”
According to reports, since 2022, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) reports it has received and investigated 549 cases of forged academic and professional certificates.
