A man has been convicted of fraudulently obtaining more than Ksh6.7 million from Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company after using a forged Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificate to secure employment as a driver.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) secured the conviction of Kelly Gichuri Muiruri, who was found guilty on four counts relating to the fraudulent acquisition of public property and the use of a fake academic document.
Senior Principal Magistrate Celesa Okore found Muiruri guilty of fraudulently acquiring public property, uttering a false document, deceiving a principal and presenting a forged certificate.
Court proceedings established that Muiruri used the forged KCSE certificate to obtain the driving job at the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company, through which he fraudulently received a total of Ksh6,742,673.
In sentencing, the court ordered him to compensate the company the full amount of Ksh6,742,673. Failure to pay the compensation will attract four years in prison.
He was also fined Ksh300,000 for fraudulently acquiring public property, with a 12-month prison sentence in default.
On the charge of uttering a false document, the magistrate imposed a fine of Ksh200,000, with an additional eight months in prison if he fails to pay.
Muiruri was further fined Ksh200,000 for deceiving a principal, with an eight-month prison term in default.
The fourth count, presenting a forged certificate, attracted a fine of Ksh100,000. Failure to settle the fine will result in an eight-month jail term.
The penalties were imposed separately across the four counts, alongside the order requiring him to refund the money obtained from the water company.
In arriving at the sentence, Magistrate Okore considered the prevalence of offences involving forged academic documents, observing that such crimes had become a serious form of economic crime.
The court also took into account submissions made by the prosecution on the appropriate punishment, before imposing the fines, custodial sentences in default and compensation order.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Susan Keli, who led the prosecution on behalf of the State.
The conviction highlights the legal consequences of using forged academic qualifications to obtain employment and access public resources.
Employers rely on academic and professional documents to verify the qualifications of prospective workers, particularly where a position requires specific skills or credentials.
The court’s decision also underscores the financial consequences of obtaining public funds through fraudulent means, with Muiruri required to repay the full amount received from Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company.
