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In a bold address during the third National Wage Bill Conference in Nairobi on Wednesday April 17, President William Ruto highlighted a shocking discovery—over 2,100 government employees have secured positions through fraudulent academic credentials.
Speaking to a packed audience, President Ruto decried this as a blatant symptom of the pervasive corruption eroding the public sector and hindering national progress.
He reiterated his commitment to purge corruption from the administration, starting with the immediate confrontation of individuals who have unjustly enriched themselves at the expense of the Kenyan state. “We must deal firmly with corruption,” he said. “There is a lot of wastage and theft in the public space. We have stabilized our foundation; now, it’s time to tackle corruption head-on.”
Ruto revealed the extent of the deception involving fake qualifications. “A simple audit has unveiled that 2,100 individuals with counterfeit certificates are employed by the government,” he said, prompting murmurs among the attendees.
Ruto urged the offenders to return the ill-gotten funds. “Those who have earned money using fake credentials should repay the public. It’s no different from obtaining money by deceit,” he stated.
Also speaking in the conference, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua alleged that he is aware of individuals along River Road in Nairobi who produce counterfeit academic credentials. The DP also alleged he knows several high-ranking government officials who have used these fraudulent documents. Gachagua further revealed that he had been solicited by these counterfeiters who boasted of aiding numerous government employees to secure positions within the public sector. Gachagua disclosed, “Some cartels in the business of issuing fake academic documents had approached me as a potential client.”
Gachagua warned that this malpractice is known to top government officials including President William Ruto, to whom he is prepared to expose the culprits. “Many people in the government…most of them their papers have flaws,” he openly told the President at the conference.
Despite feeling academically outmatched within the upper ranks of government—where many possess multiple degrees—the Deputy President said he is satisfied with his own educational achievements and won’t succumb to the allure of fake credentials. “I have always turned down the offers because I don’t care much about papers, I don’t want to go to River Road; I am satisfied with the little I have.”
He urged President Ruto to take decisive action against this widespread corruption, suggesting that eliminating these unqualified individuals could significantly reduce the governmental wage bill. “This issue of fake certificates…if we make a decision to get rid of all the fellows and characters with fake certificates, probably we could knock 10,000 people from the wage bill and recover a billion or two,” he noted.
Gachagua humorously reflected his path to becoming the DeputyPresident during the 2022 presidential race, and recalled how he resisted pressure to forge a Master’s degree to match his rival, Prof. Kithure Kindiki. “A lot of my supporters were calling me telling me we could quickly arrange even a Master’s degree to boost your profile, but when President Ruto asked about my qualifications, I simply said, ‘Accept me as I am’,” he said.
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