Parliament staff under probe for forging academic papers

Investigators are examining allegations that a senior employee of the Parliamentary Service Commission submitted falsified academic credentials to secure a high-ranking position within the institution, in a case that has deepened concerns about integrity verification processes inside Kenya's legislature.

The probe, which involves officials from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission working alongside the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, centres on certificates that are alleged to have been either fabricated outright or fraudulently obtained from institutions that did not award them legitimately. The suspect, whose identity has not been officially released pending the conclusion of inquiries, is understood to hold a grade that would have required degree-level qualifications as a minimum condition of employment.

Credential fraud in Kenya's public sector has proved stubbornly persistent despite repeated crackdowns. The Kenya National Qualifications Authority and the Kenya National Examinations Council have both invested in digitised verification systems in recent years, but investigators say the systems are not always applied consistently during recruitment, particularly when candidates arrive with strong internal referees.

The Parliamentary Service Commission oversees the administrative and support functions of both the National Assembly and the Senate, managing a payroll that runs to several billion shillings annually. Its staff are not elected officials but wield significant institutional influence over budgets, procurement and legislative scheduling.

If charges are eventually preferred, the suspect could face prosecution under the Penal Code provisions on forgery and uttering false documents, which carry potential custodial sentences. The case is likely to prompt a wider audit of academic credentials held by PSC staff, a review that opposition members of Parliament have been demanding since similar scandals surfaced in other constitutional commissions over the past two years.