Zinje Juma Mwadama, a former employee of the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), has been fined Ksh5 million or sentenced to eight years in prison for forging academic certificates and providing false information to secure employment.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, that the Anti-Corruption Court in Nairobi handed down the sentence. The court found Mwadama guilty of fraudulent acquisition of academic certificates and falsifying information to a public entity.
“The Anti-Corruption Court sitting in Nairobi has fined former Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) employee Zinje Juma Mwadama Ksh5 million or serve an 8-year imprisonment term in default for fraudulent acquisition of academic certificates to secure employment at the institution and providing false information to a public entity,” the statement shared by ODPP read in part.
Mwadama was ordered to pay a fine of Ksh100,000 or face 12 months in prison, along with a mandatory fine of Ksh4.7 million—equivalent to the total salary he earned during his time at KEPHIS. This amount must be paid in full or he will serve an additional five years in prison.
The fraudulent activities occurred between June 26, 2013, and April 24, 2021, when Mwadama worked as an Assistant Inspector II at KEPHIS. Prosecuting Counsel Susan Keli established that during this period, Mwadama fraudulently acquired Ksh4.7 million in salary payments.
In addition to the fines for fraudulent acquisition, Chief Magistrate Thomas Nzyoki sentenced Mwadama to a fine of Ksh200,000 or two years in prison for two counts of providing false information to a public entity. This is in accordance with Section 46(1)(d) as read with Section 46 (2) of the Leadership and Integrity Act, 2012 Laws of Kenya.
“Mwadama was fined Ksh100,000 or serve 12 months imprisonment, in addition to a mandatory fine of Ksh4.7 million in default to serve 5 years imprisonment, which is equivalent to the net salary he earned from KEPHIS for the offence of fraudulent acquisition of academic certificates,” the ODPP stated.
Adding;
“Prosecuting Counsel Susan Keli established that between June 26, 2013, and April 24, 2021, Mwadama, while employed as an Assistant Inspector II, fraudulently acquired a public property to wit Ksh4,746,834.38 from KEPHIS, which was his monthly salary.”
Fake certificates
On February 8, 2013, Mwadama provided false information on his employment application form, falsely claiming to have earned a Diploma in Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development from Baraka Agricultural College and a Certificate in Agriculture with Distinction from Kilifi Institute of Agriculture. These claims were later proven false.
Magistrate Nzyoki ruled that all sentences would run consecutively from the date of judgment, July 30, 2024.
Mwadama now faces the challenge of either paying the fines or serving the substantial prison term handed down by the court.
