Over 10,000 fake certificates exposed in verification exercise

Over 10,000 fake academic certificates have been flagged in an ongoing verification exercise by the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA).

This move comes as part of a broader effort to validate the credentials of government employees, following a 2022 directive aimed at ensuring the authenticity of qualifications within public institutions.

In total, 47,000 files from nearly 400 agencies were submitted for verification.

KNQA Chairman Stanley Kiptis confirmed that the flagged certificates have been returned to the relevant institutions for further investigation.

He also voiced concerns about the slow pace of the verification process, urging all government entities to expedite the submission of employees' credentials for authentication.

"We urge all government institutions to comply with the circular and submit their employees’ files for verification," Kiptis said.

"If you are funded by taxpayers and have employees under you, kindly abide by the directive and send their documents for authentication," he added, emphasizing the need for timely action.

The main objective of the verification exercise is to identify and eliminate unqualified individuals from public office, thereby promoting integrity and accountability within the public service sector.

While the process has already uncovered a troubling number of fake certificates, Kiptis indicated that a more comprehensive overview will be available by the end of the year, when the exercise is expected to be 80% complete.

To further tackle this issue, KNQA is working closely with the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders to develop a national database of all issued certificates.

In addition, institutions issuing certificates will be required to create their own databases, which will be integrated into the KNQA system for more efficient verification.

The remarks were made during a public participation forum in Kisumu on the proposed KNQA General Regulations 2025.

The forum is part of the authority’s efforts to refine these regulations in response to changing dynamics within the education sector, both locally and internationally.