A Kenyan Member of Parliament, George Koimburi, has been charged with multiple counts of forgery related to academic certificates. The charges were announced by the public prosecutor on Wednesday, following Koimburi’s arrest outside his home the previous day.
He faces a total of six charges: three for allegedly forging academic documents and three for presenting those documents as genuine. Koimburi pleaded not guilty and was subsequently released on a cash bail of Ksh. 200,000.
The allegations against Koimburi include forging a Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) certificate in late 1994 to obtain a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
Additionally, he is accused of falsifying two certificates from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) between September 2011 and April 2012.
One certificate pertains to participation in the East African Universities Accession Project, while the other is an academic excellence certificate from JKUAT’s School of Human Resource Development.
On March 8, 2021, Koimburi allegedly presented these forged certificates to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), claiming they were authentic.
The prosecution has lined up witnesses to testify against him as the case unfolds in court. This incident highlights a recurring issue in Kenya, where politicians have faced scrutiny for presenting fake academic credentials, although successful prosecutions are relatively uncommon.
Koimburi’s arrest follows his recent public statements criticizing government spending related to the African Union Commission elections, where he claimed Ksh. 13 billion was spent on former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s campaign.
His lawyer suggested that the timing of the arrest may be linked to these remarks, although these allegations were not included in the charges presented in court. The court is expected to rule on additional charges related to his previous failure to attend court sessions as the case progresses.
Source: AfricaNews
