A Nairobi man has been convicted of fraudulently receiving more than Sh6.7 million from Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company after using a fake Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificate to obtain employment as a driver.
Kelly Gichuri Muiruri was found guilty by Senior Principal Magistrate Celesa Okore on four charges, including fraudulent acquisition of public property, presenting a forged certificate, uttering a false document and deceiving a principal.
The court established that Muiruri obtained Sh6,742,673 from the public utility company through the fraudulent employment arrangement.
As part of the sentence, the court ordered him to repay the company the full amount of Sh6,742,673. Failure to comply will result in four years’ imprisonment. He was also fined Sh300,000 for fraudulently acquiring public property, with a 12-month jail term in default of payment.
For uttering a false document, the court imposed a fine of Sh200,000, with an eight-month prison sentence if he fails to pay. He received a similar fine and default sentence for deceiving a principal.
The charge of presenting a forged certificate attracted an additional fine of Sh100,000, with eight months’ imprisonment in default.
In arriving at the sentence, the court noted the growing prevalence of such offences, describing them as a serious form of economic crime. It also considered submissions made by the prosecution on the appropriate punishment for the offences.
