Kenya’s 2010 Constitution raised to at least degree level the minimum requirement for most elective positions. By then, possession of a first degree was already a requirement for some formal job positions, while those with lesser qualifications still found their space, especially in politics.

The whole idea was that a degree holder is best suited to perform various technical tasks, while at the same time offering oversight to their subordinates. 

The unintended consequence of the constitutional requirement has been a frenzy of acquisition of academic papers, with acquiring a degree being the ultimate. 

To the political class, and the wealthy, in particular, possession of a degree seems a must today, and if you already have one, you must go for more. There have been cases where politicians hire some bright minds to write their Master’s Degrees and PHDs.

Kenya has today become a “paper tiger” nation, where education is no longer a means to an end, but an end in itself.  What was once a symbol of academic achievement has been turned into a commodity, fueling a troubling trend of overdependence on university degrees. 

The pursuit of academic qualifications has transformed into a lucrative business venture with demand outweighing integrity.  Massive cases of forgery of academic and professional papers within the public service, involving thousands of government employees have been unearthed in Kenya in the recent past.

An audit by the Public Service Commission (PSC), released on February 13, 2024, found that more than 2,000 fake certificates were used to obtain employment from different institutions in the government. 

The PSC, established under Article 233 of the Kenyan Constitution, is tasked with ensuring the integrity of the public service and exercising disciplinary control over and removing persons holding or acting in those offices.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) said in May last year that it was investigating over 150 cases of forgery of academic certificates held by persons serving in the public service, while 13 cases were pending before court. 

The anti-graft agency said the trend was appalling and if untamed, could adversely affect the national economy and compromise the integrity of Kenya’s education system once rated highly at the global level.

Speaking at the third edition of the National Wage Bill Conference in Nairobi mid-April 2024, President William Ruto disclosed that there were approximately 2,100 individuals who had falsified their academic qualifications to secure government employment. 

Ruto emphasised the severity of corruption within the public sector, underscoring its impact on national development. To Ruto’s deputy Rigathi Gachagua, there were as many as 10,000 government workers with fake academic papers. Gachagua spiced it up with the claim that he had a list of senior officials within government holding fake degrees. 

The list, Gachagua said, was handed to him by some individuals from Nairobi’s River Road, who claimed they helped the officials obtain the certificates. The notorious Nairobi’s River Road district has over the years been linked to the processing of counterfeit academic certificates and other documents.

Also weighing in on the disturbing trend was former Chief Justice David Maraga, who called on the government to form a commission of inquiry to investigate the rampant vice of fake academic certificates in Kenya.

Speaking during a capacity-building workshop for journalists organised by the EACC and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC), Maraga said that education certificates from Kenyan institutions should never be questioned.

“Kenya is currently witnessing rampant cases of forgery of academic certificates. In some cases, there are universities that are accused of fraudulently selling transcripts and degree certificates to individuals who never set foot in any classroom. Given the danger that these malpractices pose to Kenya’s education system, there is a need for the government to establish a mechanism, including even a commission of inquiry to inquire into the root cause of this menace and how it should be effectively addressed,” Maraga said.

Beyond the borders, researchers who study what has been termed “contract cheating”, have flagged Kenya as a key hub for the vice, according to a BBC report on September 9, 2021: 

The report said that many desperate Kenyans, especially the young, leveraged on their English proficiency and the country’s good education system, to write academic papers for the lazy or weak students for a fee. 

How much the customer pays vary depending on whether the assignment is a simple essay or, at the other end of the scale, an entire PhD thesis,” said the report.

But most disturbing is the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) that is supposed interrogate and prove the veracity of degree certificates presented by politicians before being cleared to contest various seats—is often riddled with corruption and politicians have their way.  Even major universities such the University of Nairobi raised eyebrows in the 2022 elections when their cleared politicians whose papers were openly in doubt and could not name their classmates during their studies. 

Whereas there is a consensus that education, especially at university level broadens one’s world view and empowers them to be more critical and analytical, there is little or no evidence that the same makes the holders the best leaders, for instance. 

A number of non-degree holders in Kenya, among them political icons Tom Mboya and Martin Shikuku, excelled in their leadership roles, and secured their places in the nation’s history.

Then there is the little matter of the performance of Kenya’s successive parliaments, both the national assembly and the senate. Though highly literate, the legislators from 2007, have proven to be the most pliable to external dictates, and many have fallen short on matters probity and morality. 

Like was the case during president Mwai Kibaki’s second term, through to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s two term, and now President Ruto first term, both the National Assembly and the Senate vote essentially on the whims of the Executive and parochial issues like ethnicity and bribes.

One thing many have found curious how the high and mighty accused of possessing fake academic papers always have their way in the courts. Invariably, the courts take inordinately long to prove the authenticity or otherwise of their papers, or rule in their favour.