EACC Summons 143 Kisii County Employees in Fake Academic Papers Probe
Fear has seized employees in Kisii County following the initiation of inquiries by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) into claims of counterfeit academic credentials.
Officials from the South Nyanza regional office of the EACC have called in 143 employees for scrutiny over suspicions that they used dubious academic credentials to obtain jobs in a public office.
In a correspondence directed to the County Secretary and Head of Public Service at the Kisii County Government, Ms. Ruth Yator, the EACC Regional Manager, acting on behalf of the EACC Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, emphasized the importance of ensuring that the specified employees attend the investigators’ session to provide their statements.
The mobilization of such a significant amount of government employees has instilled fear in the individuals implicated in the extensive academic document forgery.
The letter seen by the Nation, entitled “Request to attend investigative interviews”, lists the names of the 143 people who are to be investigated.
The letter reads: “The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) is a statutory body established under Section 3 of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act, 2011 with a mandate to combat and prevent corruption, economic crimes, and unethical conduct in Kenya through law enforcement, prevention, public education and promotion of standards and practices of integrity, ethics and anti-corruption.”
The EACC encouraged the CS to ensure that the officers mentioned in the letter are properly supported to adhere to the summons without any exceptions.
“To facilitate this investigation, please inform the following officers to appear before our investigators at our South Nyanza Regional Office, Kisii, along the Kisii-Kilgoris road on the date and time indicated against their names,” the summons read.
Those impacted include individuals who were employed during Governor James Ongwae’s previous administration and held prestigious roles across different departments.
A study conducted by the Institute of Human Resource Management (IHRM) also found that certain individuals employed by the Kisii County government utilized counterfeit certificates in their job applications.
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Last year, at Gusii Stadium, the report was publicly released by Queresha Abdullahi, the Executive Director of IHRM, and subsequently passed on to Kisii Governor Simba Arati for further steps.
Ms. Abdullahi mentioned that they carried out the audit after receiving a letter of commitment in October 2022 from the former County Secretary, Mr. Patrick Lumumba.
“We also conducted the verification of certificates through the Kenya National Examinations Council. Given the nature of this report as it touches on individuals and its sensitivity, we are leaving it with the Governor for him to take it up with the stakeholders and the relevant authorities,” said the HR professional.
Ms. Abdullahi, along with other key members of her team, urged Governor Arati to guarantee the execution of the report to ensure that the citizens of Kisii receive adequate return on investment.
“When we did this audit, it’s important to note that we went above and beyond to ensure that everybody who was on the payroll turned up and completed the headcount process. We have 1,314 ghost workers,” Ms Abdullahi said.
Mr. Arati conveyed his disappointment, affirming his refusal to be intimidated by anyone. He emphasized his commitment, along with other officials in the district, to fully adhere to and enforce the report’s recommendations.
He mentioned that the funds squandered could have been allocated to enhancing the provision of services to the people of Kisii.
“They can call me all the names they want. I am vindicated. They can write whatever they want on social media but here is the report on our sick county that needs to be fixed,” Mr Arati said.
EACC Summons 143 Kisii County Employees in Fake Academic Papers Probe
