A former employee of Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company Limited (NCWSC) has been charged with defrauding the government of Ksh8.3 million after using a forged KCSE certificate to secure employment as an ICT assistant.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) revealed on Monday, October 10, that investigations found the certificate initially appeared legitimate but was fake. Using this, the suspect managed to acquire public funds totaling Ksh8,337,563.95 from NCWSC.
“Upon completion of the investigations, the Commission forwarded the file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who reviewed the evidence and approved the charges against the suspect,” EACC said.
The former employee, identified as Asembo, appeared before the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court facing multiple charges. These include fraudulent acquisition of public funds, deceiving a principal contrary to Section 41(2) as read with Section 48(1) of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act, 2003, forgery under Sections 345 and 349 of the Penal Code, and uttering a false document contrary to Section 353 of the Penal Code.
Asembo was initially arrested on September 3 and released on a Ksh25,000 cash bail pending arraignment. She failed to appear in court on September 5, prompting a warrant of arrest. During her arraignment, she denied all charges and was released on a Ksh1 million bond with two sureties of equal value.
EACC emphasized its commitment to combating fraud and upholding integrity within the public sector.
This case follows a similar recent incident where another senior NCWSC clerk was fined for using a falsified KCSE certificate to gain employment in 2011. That employee earned over Ksh8 million over a decade and was sentenced to pay a fine equal to the amount lost or serve four years in prison, alongside additional fines for deceiving a principal and presenting a false certificate.
The arrest and arraignment highlight ongoing efforts by EACC to curb corruption and ensure accountability in public institutions.
