The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has released details of its battle with government officials who secured jobs using fake academic papers.
So dire is the situation that Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua recently admitted that as many as 10,000 government workers may be having fake academic papers.
The situation also puts the integrity of reputable learning institutions at risk, as the EACC says it has intensified efforts to go after those using forged papers.
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The commission says it has been receiving cases of individuals who used forged academic and professional certificates to get civil service jobs by altering their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination grades to gain entry into higher education institutions.
In total, the commission received 1,473 reports of falsification of academic documents by public and state officers by February 2024.
EACC, whose Chief Executive is Mr Twalib Mbarak, has filed 24 cases in court involving top government officials, governors and their executives, securing seven convictions.
The commission has 1,337 cases still under investigation. It has made recoveries from suspects of at least Sh12.8 million.
Details by the agency show how institutions academic credentials have been forged and used to secure jobs in the public service.
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The culprits have also forged diploma and university degree certificates.
Commissions, counties and independent offices, including the Public Service Commission (PSC), have been advertising job vacancies and the qualifications required.
Institutions that have fallen prey include Parliament, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and the Teachers Service Commission.
Some suspects even serve in very senior positions.
The latest report by the EACC categorises the crime into three: those seeking employment in public service, those due for promotion and those de-designated.
The EACC has focused on forgery of academic certificates in counties, commissions, independent offices, universities and colleges.
Similarly, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations is targeting ministries, departments and agencies.
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Analysts say the situation is a true reflection of a society whose citizens glorify fakes and take shortcuts to earn money and positions.
Political analyst and senior lecturer at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology, Samuel Okuro, says the demand for academic qualification in employment has led to the menace.
It is rampant because people are looking for formal jobs, Mr Okuro says.
There is a weak framework in detecting fake papers. The system is not foolproof. That is why some Kenyans are rushing to backstreet colleges in the country and elsewhere to get papers.
He says tribalism and nepotism in public service are to blame, adding that people in power are not interested in merit but creating opportunities for friends, cronies and relatives.
There is no proper scrutiny of the papers presented by jobseekers. The hiring lacks proper checks too. The problem is now being reported in devolved governments, he noted.
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Mr Okuro questions the capacity of the Commission for University Education (CUE) to scrutinise papers, including those flagged by investigating agencies.
How does an employee come back later and report that his or her papers are forged? Whatever is happening is negligence on the part of the employer, he says.
Last month, Mr Mbarak extended an amnesty to public workers with forged papers to own up, promising to consider alternative dispute resolution mechanisms available in law to resolve their cases if they refund the money earned illegally.
Our aim is to reclaim public resources acquired illegally. Public institutions at the county and national governments should suspend payments until investigations are complete, the EACC boss said.
Some employees hurriedly resigned or sought early retirement after being implicated in the scandal.
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The other challenge the EACC is dealing with is impersonation.
There are other individuals who get admitted to a university programme but fail to complete studies. Later, they forge degree and diploma certificates that they use to secure government jobs. Some people have never set foot in institutions they
