Nairobi Water Employee Ordered to Pay KSh7.5 Million After Using Fake KCSE Certificate to Secure Job
A Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company employee has been ordered to pay more than KSh7.5 million after being convicted of using falsified academic qualifications to secure employment at the public utility.
The Milimani Anti-Corruption Court found Kelly Gichuri Muiruri, who worked as a driver at the company, guilty of four offences linked to the fraudulent use of a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificate.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, October 29, 2026, Magistrate Celesa Okore established that Muiruri presented a KCSE certificate indicating that he had attained a mean grade of C plain in the 2002 national examinations, despite having actually scored a D plain.
According to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), Muiruri was convicted of fraudulent acquisition of public property, uttering a false document, deceiving a principal and presenting a forged certificate.
However, the court acquitted him of the separate charge of forgery.
As part of the sentence, the court ordered Muiruri to refund KSh6,742,673, representing salaries he received from Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company between November 2016 and December 2023.
The court ruled that he would serve four years in prison if he failed to pay the compensation.
Additionally, the magistrate imposed financial penalties totalling KSh800,000 across the four offences.
Muiruri was fined KSh300,000 for fraudulently acquiring public property, with a 12-month prison sentence in default.
He was also fined KSh200,000 for uttering a false document, another KSh200,000 for deceiving his employer and KSh100,000 for presenting a forged certificate.
Each of the three additional fines carries an eight-month prison sentence if unpaid.
The court further directed that the prison terms attached to the four fines run consecutively.
This brings the total financial liability to KSh7,542,673, comprising the compensation for salaries received and the fines imposed by the court.
The case originated from investigations launched by the EACC after receiving information that the employee had allegedly used falsified academic documents to obtain employment at the water company.
Following its investigations, the commission forwarded the file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), recommending criminal proceedings against the employee.
The conviction highlights the consequences of presenting fraudulent academic credentials to secure employment, particularly in public institutions where recruitment is expected to be based on genuine qualifications.
The EACC has reiterated the importance of verifying academic and professional certificates during recruitment to protect public resources and promote accountability in government institutions.
