A Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) employee has been convicted of fraudulently using a forged Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificate to secure employment, with the court ordering him to pay more than KSh7.5 million in compensation and fines.
The Milimani Anti-Corruption Court delivered the judgment on Thursday, October 29, 2026, convicting Kelly Gichuri Muiruri, a driver at the company, on four counts linked to the fraudulent acquisition of employment.
In the ruling, Magistrate Celesa Okore found Muiruri guilty of fraudulent acquisition of public property, uttering a false document, deceiving a principal and presenting a forged certificate. However, he was acquitted of the separate charge of forgery.
The court established that Muiruri presented a KCSE certificate indicating that he had attained a mean grade of C Plain in the 2002 national examinations, yet investigations established that his actual grade was D Plain.
As part of the sentence, the court ordered Muiruri to pay KSh6,742,673 in compensation, representing salaries he received from Nairobi City Water between November 2016 and December 2023.
The magistrate further directed that failure to pay the compensation would attract four years’ imprisonment.
Additionally, Muiruri was fined a total of KSh800,000 across the four offences. The penalties included KSh300,000 for fraudulent acquisition of public property, KSh200,000 for uttering a false document, KSh200,000 for deceiving a principal and KSh100,000 for presenting a forged certificate.
Each fine carries an alternative prison sentence in default, with the court directing that the respective default sentences run consecutively.
The case followed investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) after a report was received alleging that Muiruri had used falsified academic qualifications to obtain employment at the Nairobi-based water utility.
Upon concluding its investigations, the commission forwarded the case file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), recommending criminal charges.
In its statement following the conviction, the EACC urged employers to strengthen recruitment procedures by verifying academic and professional qualifications before hiring employees.
The commission said verification of credentials was essential in safeguarding public resources and promoting integrity in public service.
