Knec’s stiff penalties for curbing certificate fraud

By Augustine Oduor

Time is closing in for fraudsters who rake in cash by duping gullible Kenyans into buying fake certificates.

It will also cease to be an option for Kenyans to possess or present fake certificates to employers or to learning institutions for admission.

Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) has proposed stiff penalties for examination certificate cons in a radical move to protect credibility of national examinations system.

The draft Knec Bill 2012 recommends that any person who counterfeits for commercial purposes, a certificate or diploma issued by the council be charged a fine not exceeding Sh10 million.

The con may also serve a jail term not exceeding 10 years or be slapped by both penalties.

Jail term

The act will not be any safer for persons who possess and present a forged certificate or diploma, result slip or statement of results or even those who may choose to present someone else’s certificate or diploma, result slip or statement purporting it to be hers to a prospective employer or to an institution of learning with intent to gain employment or admission.

In 2011, 27 police recruits were arrested for using fake certificates to join the police force.