EACC Secures Millions in Refund Earned by Ex-Govt Employee Using Fake Degree

Jukwaa

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) announced on Wednesday, July 8, that Okandah William John, a former Revenue Collection Assistant at the utility company, was found guilty of fraudulently acquiring public funds by obtaining employment through false academic qualifications.

According to the anti-graft agency, investigations established that Okandah presented a forged Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting Option) degree certificate purporting to have been issued by the University of Nairobi, enabling him to secure employment at the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company in 2016.

“He was sentenced to pay a mandatory fine of Ksh4,749,597, being the amount fraudulently acquired, or serve two years' imprisonment in default,” EACC confirmed.

📌 What You Need to Know

The commission said the former employee received Ksh4,749,597 in salaries between September 3, 2016, and November 30, 2023 before the fake academic credentials were uncovered during a verification exercise .

Senior Principal Magistrate Celesa Asis Okore convicted Okandah on three counts, which include fraudulent acquisition of public property, uttering a false document and deceiving a principal.

He was, however, acquitted on the separate charge of forgery after the court found there was insufficient evidence linking him to the actual creation of the fake degree certificate.

During sentencing, the court ordered him to pay Ksh4,749,597, being the amount fraudulently acquired , or serve two years' imprisonment in default.

He was also fined Ksh100,000 on each of the three counts, with a default sentence of 12 months' imprisonment for each offence.

The prosecution told the court that the forged degree certificate was submitted during the recruitment process and later formed part of the employee's personal records at Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke

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