Ex-Nairobi water employee fined Sh14.6 million for using fake diploma to secure job

A former employee of Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) has been fined over Sh14.6 million after an anti-corruption court found that he fraudulently obtained more than Sh7.1 million in salaries using a forged academic certificate.

Lawrence Masinde Barasa, who worked as an ICT Assistant at NCWSC, was convicted by Nairobi Anti-Corruption Principal Magistrate Charles Ondieki. The court found Barasa guilty on three counts, including fraudulent acquisition of public property, uttering a false document, and deceiving a principal.

The court heard that Barasa had forged a Diploma in Information Technology certificate purportedly issued by Eldoret Polytechnic. He used the fake certificate to secure employment at NCWSC, through which he unlawfully received salaries and benefits totalling over Sh7.1 million.

In his ruling, Ondieki fined Barasa Sh100,000 for the first count of fraudulent acquisition of public property and imposed a mandatory fine of Sh14,347,926, which is double the amount illegally obtained, as prescribed by law. If he fails to pay, he faces a total of two years’ imprisonment.

Barasa was acquitted on the second count of forgery due to insufficient evidence. However, he was fined Sh100,000 for the third count of uttering a false document and Sh100,000 for deceiving a principal.

The court directed that all default prison sentences would run consecutively.

Barasa has 14 days from the date of the judgment to appeal both the conviction and the sentence.

Other Topics To Read

• National
• Corruption
• Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company
• Ex-Nairobi water employee fined Sh14.6 million for using fake diploma to secure job
• Headlines