The Nairobi City County government has launched a comprehensive exercise to authenticate the academic and professional certificates of its more than 17,000 employees, in compliance with directives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Public Service Commission (PSC).
According to a circular issued by the County Public Service Board (CPSB) on August 25, 2025, the verification process began last Friday and is expected to conclude by December 19, 2025. The board has instructed all employees to forward their academic and professional documents through their departmental heads for scrutiny.
“The Board is in receipt of a letter from the EACC, quoting a PSC memo requiring the audit of academic and professional certificates for officers within the County Public Service,” CPSB chairman Thomas Kasoa said in the memo. The circular, addressed to the County Secretary and copied to Governor Johnson Sakaja, Deputy Governor Njoroge Muchiri, and all county chief officers, directs departments to submit personal files and any prior verification reports for further action.
This initiative follows heightened national efforts to curb the use of forged documents in public service. Last year, the EACC and PSC uncovered a large-scale fake certificate syndicate that had cost taxpayers nearly Sh460 million in salaries and allowances paid to unqualified individuals. EACC Chief Executive Officer Abdi Mohamud recently confirmed that the commission has received at least 549 reports of academic and professional forgery currently under investigation.
The Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) has also been at the forefront of the crackdown. In April, the agency revealed it had flagged over 10,000 fake certificates across government departments and agencies after reviewing more than 47,000 personnel files from about 400 institutions.
Head of Public Service Felix Koskei has previously warned that the use of falsified documents threatens both institutional integrity and national development. Speaking during the 2025 Ethics and Integrity Conference in Nairobi, he underscored the need for accountability and transparency in recruitment and promotions.
City Hall’s verification exercise marks the latest step in a wider government campaign to restore credibility in public service by ensuring that only qualified and legitimately certified professionals serve in key roles.
