Nairobi — A Nairobi court has convicted a man who fraudulently obtained more than Ksh6.7 million from Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company after using a forged Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificate to secure employment as a driver.

Kelly Gichuri Muiruri was found guilty on four counts by Senior Principal Magistrate Celesa Okore following a prosecution led by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Susan Keli.

The court established that Muiruri fraudulently acquired Ksh6,742,673 from the water utility through the use of a forged academic certificate to obtain the job.

He was convicted of fraudulent acquisition of public property, uttering a false document, deceiving a principal and presenting a forged certificate.

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In the sentence, the court ordered Muiruri to compensate Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company Ksh6,742,673, failure to which he will serve four years in prison.

He was also fined Ksh300,000 for fraudulently acquiring public property, with a 12-month prison term in default.

For uttering a false document, the court imposed a Ksh200,000 fine, with an eight-month jail term should he fail to pay.

Muiruri was similarly fined Ksh200,000 for deceiving a principal, with an additional eight-month prison term in default.

The offence of presenting a forged certificate attracted a Ksh100,000 fine, with an eight-month jail term in default.

In arriving at its decision, the court considered the prevalence of such offences, noting that the use of fraudulent documents to obtain employment and public funds had become a serious form of economic crime.

The court also considered submissions by the prosecution on the appropriate sentence.

The conviction highlights the legal consequences of using forged academic documents to obtain employment and financial benefits, particularly where public resources are involved.