Former Masinde Muliro University employee charged with forgery of academic certificates

A former employee of Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) has been charged before the Kakamega Anti-Corruption Court over allegations of forging academic certificates and using them to secure employment at the institution.

Investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) established that the suspect, Florah Lipesa Koloba, allegedly forged a Diploma certificate in Community Health Nursing from Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), a Nursing Certificate from the Nursing Council, and a KCSE certificate.

According to court documents,  Koloba was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Makori on Tuesday, where she faced multiple charges, including forgery, uttering false documents, deceiving a principal and fraudulent acquisition of public property.

A charge sheet seen by Citizen Digital states that between January 1, 2015 and May 31, 2023, Koloba fraudulently acquired public property amounting to Ksh.7,584,574, being salary paid after securing employment using forged academic documents.

Prosecutors further allege that the accused used forged qualifications, including a Diploma in Community Health Nursing purportedly issued by the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), to secure employment as a nurse at MMUST.

“Koloba allegedly forged a Diploma in Community Health Nursing certificate without a serial number, purporting it to be a genuine document issued by KMTC on November 24, 1994,” stated the charge sheet.

She is also accused of uttering the alleged forged diploma to the university’s Appointment and Promotion Committee on October 25, 2011.

Court documents also indicate that she allegedly forged a Nursing Council of Kenya certificate, alongside a letter dated December 17, 1994, purportedly issued by KMTC Principal Leah C. Rugut.

The accused also faces charges of uttering false documents to MMUST officials with the intent of being converted to permanent and pensionable terms.

The accused denied all charges and was released on a cash bail of Ksh.500,000 or a bond of Ksh.1 million with a surety of a similar amount.

The matter will be mentioned on May 28, 2026, for pre-trial directions and to fix a hearing date.

The Commission says it will, in addition to criminal prosecution, institute civil proceedings to recover salaries and benefits unlawfully obtained through the use of fraudulent academic qualifications.