How KNEC Will Catch Kenyans With Fake Certificates On The Spot
Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said the platform was crucial in the government’s effort to eliminate the use of fake certificates.
Marvin Chege 
The Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) has rolled out a digital platform designed to verify the authenticity of academic certificates.
In a statement released on Friday, July 4, Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said the platform was crucial in the government’s effort to eliminate the use of fake certificates.
He noted that the Public Service Commission (PSC) is already utilizing the system, adding that the platform would be employed during government recruitment processes for public service positions.
Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok speaking on July 4, 2025 during the launch of a new digital platform to verify academic certificates. /JULIUS BITOK
"The platform, which is currently being piloted in collaboration with the Public Service Commission, marks a major step forward in the fight against fake academic papers. It provides a fast, secure, and reliable way to authenticate certificates issued by KNEC," read the statement in part.
"This innovation will enhance transparency and credibility in recruitment processes, especially within the public service, and ensure that only genuine qualifications are recognised."
Kenya has long struggled with the problem of fake academic documents, especially within the public service. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has recently ramped up efforts to tackle forged certificates, leading to multiple arrests and prosecutions.
The newly introduced digital verification platform is expected to simplify the process for employers, institutions, and government agencies to verify qualifications, cutting down on the slow and fraud-prone manual checks previously in use.
In its annual report for the 2023/2024 financial year, the PSC disclosed that 449 government workers were dismissed after being caught with fraudulent certificates.
An additional 181 employees resigned once it was uncovered that they had secured their positions using fake academic documents.
"Out of 150 institutions that did not authenticate their certificates, 100 (67%) committed to authenticating by 30th June 2025, 32 (21%) said they would authenticate by 31st March 2025 while 18 (12%) did not provide a timeline," read part of the report released in January.
"Out of 1,019 officers found with fake certificates, action was taken on 744 (73%) officers. 79 (7.8%) officers were still undergoing investigation, and no action was taken on 15 (1.5%). The status of action taken on 181 (17.8%) officers was not indicated."
On May 27, Kajiado West Member of Parliament (MP) George Sunkuyia was arrested by EACC officers over allegations that he forged a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) document.
He was accused of submitting the fake certificate—purportedly issued by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC)—to Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) back in January 2012.
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