Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Chief Executive Officer Twalib Mbarak has raised concerns over the upsurge of fake certificates in the country.
Twalib noted that while Kenya's education has earned tremendous respect globally, the emerging trend of fake certs is threatening its credibility.
"There are numerous academic certificates in the country whose authenticity is questionable," Mbarak said.
The anti-graft agency CEO said efforts must be made to find a lasting solution and to bring the criminals to justice.
"If you arrest one criminal, nine are on the loose," revealed Mbarak when he addressed the World Day against Corruption in Murang'a on Saturday.
Mbarak wondered what would happen if the campaign against fake certificates is ramped up to all levels of government including the legislature.
"So in Parliament, I don't know what will happen....the same case to the central government. We need to see how to address the issue of fake certificates,'' he said.
The CEO revealed that the commission recently received a letter from the Attorney General's office seeking mutual assistance on someone who purported to have a degree from a university in a neighboring country.
''He is a CEC in a county in charge of mining and the letter was in bold that this certificate is fake, we managed to capture one,'' Mbarak said.
Twalib called upon all stakeholders including Universities, Colleges, schools, regulatory bodies and all actors to take urgent and decisive measures to tame the challenge which is widespread in both national and county governments.
The EACC's warning comes at a time when there have been claims of persons presenting fake academic certificates to employment agencies in the country.
Recently, the Kenya National Qualifications Authority and the EACC said that one-third of employed Kenyans are not qualified for their jobs.
The two state agencies said the Kenyans got those jobs using fake academic papers, sometimes with the complicity of recruitment panels.
That means one in every three Kenyans holds a fake qualification.
This means that unqualified persons may be making decisions with huge implications for the lives of Kenyans.
EACC revealed to Members of Parliament that some employers, including universities, are fully aware they are hiring and promoting employees with fake certificates.
"Employers, universities, and colleges bear significant blame for the forgery of academic certificates in public service," EACC deputy CEO Abdi Mohamud told MPs on July 27.
The Commission recently revealed that it is investigating over 170 cases of falsification of academic certificates.
According to the Commission's Director of Ethics and Leadership John Lolkoloi, Kenyans forge academic certificates to attain qualifications for jobs or promotions or to gain admission for further studies.
"Culprits will continue to be charged in court and the salaries earned on fake certificates recovered by EACC," Lolkoloi said.
Speaking at a Youth Summit on ethics organized by the Catholic University of Eastern Africa on November 23, 2023, he urged the students to embrace ethical values and principles as they undertake their studies and transition to take up their roles in society.
Lolkoloi called on all stakeholders to work together to root out all cases of forged academic certificates arguing that unless it is eliminated, the job market will be infiltrated by unscrupulous individuals who will not only have robbed honest candidates of employment opportunities but also undermine the credibility of the country's education system.
EACC has been arresting public servants in the national and county governments who got jobs with fake certificates. For each individual caught, many others remain undetected.
The problem of fake certificates is tainting the country's politics.
In the run-up to the 2022 general elections, several politicians were found with questionable academic certificates.