Qualifications Authority identifies over 10K fake certificates in ongoing verification exercise

A KCSE Certificate. The Qualifications Authority (KNQA) has identified over 10K fake certificates in the ongoing verification exercise

The Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) has identified over 10,000 counterfeit certificates from various government departments and agencies as part of an ongoing effort to verify qualifications.

This discovery follows the agency’s receipt of 47,000 files from around 400 government institutions, prompted by a 2022 directive requiring the verification of employee credentials.

KNQA Chairman Stanley Kiptis confirmed that the flagged certificates have been sent back to the respective institutions for further action.

Kiptis expressed concern about the slow progress of the verification process and urged institutions that have not yet submitted their files to do so promptly.

He highlighted the significance of this initiative, which aims to remove unqualified individuals from public service and uphold integrity within the sector.

“We encourage all government institutions to adhere to the directive and submit their employees’ files for verification. If you are funded by taxpayers and have staff, please comply and send their documents for authentication,” he stated.

He noted that the preliminary findings reflect the current situation in public service and mentioned that KNQA anticipates a clearer understanding of the prevalence of fake certifications in the public sector by the end of the year, when the verification exercise is expected to be 80% complete.

To combat this issue, KNQA is collaborating with the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders to create a national database of all issued certificates.

He added that all issuing institutions have been instructed to establish their own databases, which will be integrated into the KNQA system for efficient verification and retrieval.

Kiptis made these comments during a public participation forum in Kisumu regarding the proposed KNQA General Regulations 2025.

He explained that the authority is engaging with the public and institutions to refine the regulations in line with current developments in the education sector at national, continental, and global levels.

Furthermore, KNQA will continue to collaborate with relevant agencies to enhance the authentication of academic qualifications throughout the country.