Foreigners among four suspects charged in Mombasa with giving fake PhD, masters degrees
In January, former EACC boss Talib Mbarak disclosed that government institutions had the highest number of employees using fake degrees.
Four individuals accused of issuing fraudulent master's and PhD degrees after a brief training period have been charged in a Mombasa court.
The suspects, including two foreigners, were arrested at a beach hotel in Mombasa, where they were allegedly conferring fake degrees under the name of a non-existent university.
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Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss Amin Mohamed on Thursday confirmed the arrests.
"The four were found issuing masters and PhD degrees to excited participants who had received training for only three days. Some of the fraudulently awarded degrees include three Master of Business Administration (Leadership and Management) and two PhDs in Leadership (Honoris Causa)," he said.
The suspects were charged at the Shanzu Law Courts with conferring degrees without accreditation from foreign universities, violating Section 28(2) as read with Section 5 of the Universities Act.
They pleaded not guilty and were granted a Sh400,000 bond with surety or a cash bail of Sh300,000.
The court also ordered that the two foreign suspects, an American and a Pakistani, surrender their passports.
Their case is set for mention on February 18, 2025.
Tip-off
The arrests followed a tip-off to officers at Bamburi Police Station about the group's suspicious activities.
Amin said that authorities will take firm action against individuals engaged in the fraudulent issuance of academic certificates.
Using fake academic credentials is a criminal offence under the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act (ACECA), with penalties including fines, imprisonment, or both.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) may also be required to recover any salary or benefits obtained through fake certificates.
The crackdown on fraudulent academic credentials comes amid heightened efforts by the EACC to curb their use in public service.
In January, former EACC boss Talib Mbarak disclosed that government institutions had the highest number of employees using fake degrees.
A report covering April 1 to June 30, 2024, indicated that fraudulent academic documents had been used in schools, colleges, parastatals, county governments, and even the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
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