Public Service Commission explains why Kenyans are faking academic papers
By Cynthia Lodite, October 28, 2025Public Service Commission (PSC) Chairman Francis Meja has revealed major factors behind fake academic papers in Kenya’s public service, linking unemployment stress in the country.
While speaking on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, during an interview with a local media house, the PSC Chairman revealed that major reasons include over-reliance on academic certificates to procure job opportunities.
Chairman Meja acknowledged that 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.
Administrative action
Of these cases, 134 investigation files have been completed, 85 forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions, and 33 are pending in court.
The EACC added that 20 cases have been concluded in court, resulting in 13 convictions and seven acquittals.
Beyond the convictions and administrative actions taken by the entities involved, the commission has prioritized recovering salaries and other benefits earned by government employees found with fake certificates.
“For the few cases that we have investigated, the amount of money we are looking to recover exceeds Sh460 million—salaries that were earned illegally by people who used fake certificates to acquire employment,” said EACC Chief Executive Officer Abdi Mohamud.
Head of Public Service Felix Koskei addressed the issue, referencing the Report on the Validation of Academic and Professional Certificates in the government, issued by the Public Service Commission in February 2024.
Koskei expressed concern about the PSC report’s preliminary findings, which paint a deeply troubling picture of the government workforce. Out of 53,000 cases submitted to the Kenya National Examination Council by 91 public institutions for verification, 1,280 certificates were confirmed as forgeries.