The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has charged an artisan employed by the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company over allegations of using a forged KCSE certificate to secure employment and earn more than Ksh 5.9 million in salary.
Joshua Attuah Omia was charged with multiple offences, including fraudulent acquisition of public property, forgery, uttering a false document, deceiving a principal, and presenting a forged certificate.
Prosecution Details Salary Fraud Claims
According to the prosecution, Omia fraudulently earned Ksh 5,909,037.10 in salary between August 2015 and December 31, 2023, while working at Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company Limited.
The prosecution alleges that the payments were obtained unlawfully after he secured employment using a fake KCSE certificate purportedly issued by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).
The Court documents state that the accused allegedly forged a KCSE certificate bearing a mean grade of C minus and presented it as a genuine document issued by KNEC.
He was also accused of uttering a false document, namely KCSE certificate number KSCE518142, in the name of Omia A. Joshua.
False Academic Qualifications Alleged
The ODPP further alleges that Omia knowingly deceived his employer by falsely claiming he had attained a Form Four qualification from Etete Secondary School between 1994 and 1997.
The court heard that on or about July 27, 2015, the accused submitted the alleged false academic details to Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company while updating his personnel records.
Prosecutors argue that the information was intentionally provided to maintain his employment within the public institution.
The charges form part of ongoing efforts by anti-corruption agencies and the ODPP to crack down on fraudulent acquisition of public employment and misuse of public funds through forged academic credentials.
Omia denied all the charges before the court. He was released on a bond of Ksh 1 million with a similar surety or an alternative cash bail of Ksh 300,000 pending the hearing and determination of the case.
The matter is scheduled for mention on May 27, 2027.
