PS Julius Bitok
The Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) has launched a digital platform that will be used to verify the authenticity of academic certificates.
Speaking at the launch on Friday, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok said the platform will support recruitment processes by ensuring only authentic qualifications are accepted.
“This platform will help us confirm who holds genuine papers. It provides a fast and secure way to authenticate certificates issued by KNEC,” said Bitok.
The system is currently being used when the government is recruiting employees to join the public service.
“The platform, which is currently being piloted in collaboration with the Public Service Commission, marks a major step forward in the fight against fake academic papers. It provides a fast, secure, and reliable way to authenticate certificates issued by KNEC,” Bitok added.
This comes after a government audit conducted in June 2025, which uncovered serious flaws in document verification across the public service.
The audit reviewed 168,667 officers and uncovered that 859 possessed fake academic certificates, 160 had forged professional qualifications, and over 24,500 submitted unauthenticated documents. It also revealed that 84.9 percent of the officers had never undergone any form of document verification.
PSC, in its annual report for the 2023/2024 financial year, revealed that 449 government employees were dismissed after being found in possession of fake certificates.
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