A former human resource officer at the County Assembly of Kiambu has been fined Sh1.06 million after admitting to using forged academic documents to obtain public employment.
Milimani Anti-Corruption Court Magistrate Isabellah Barasa convicted Margaret Njeri Mbugua on October 22, 2026, after she entered a plea agreement with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Mbugua pleaded guilty to three charges: fraudulent acquisition of public property, uttering a false document and presenting a forged certificate.
The court imposed a fine of Sh20,000 on each count, with a six-month prison sentence for each count in default of payment. It also ordered her to pay the government Sh1 million in compensation for fraudulently acquiring public property.
Investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) established that Mbugua presented a forged Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificate, purportedly issued for examinations taken in 1996 at Gachoire Secondary School.
The document was allegedly used to secure employment at the County Assembly of Kiambu, where she earned Sh4,921,953.80 in salary between November 2020 and August 2025.
She had initially faced four charges, including forgery of a KCSE certificate, fraudulent acquisition of public property, uttering a false document under the Penal Code and presenting a forged certificate under the Kenya National Examinations Council Act.
Although charged with all four offences, Mbugua admitted guilt to the latter three through the plea agreement.
The EACC welcomed the conviction, stating that the outcome should discourage other individuals from using falsified academic qualifications to obtain public employment.
