The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission arrested four civil servants who were working with fake academic certificates.

The arrest was made as part of the ongoing crackdown on fake academic and professional certificates in the country.

The four were arrested on Wednesday and were later processed at the EACC Integrity Center Police Station before being escorted to court.

The Commission’s spokesperson, Eric Ngumbi, confirmed that the arrested suspects worked in various firms, including the Independent Electoral and Delimitation Commission, the Revenue Allocation Commission, the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority and the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company.

The arrest comes at a time when the EACC has raised the alarm over the rise in the number of people using fake academic documents to secure government jobs.

In its quarterly report, cases have increased, a large number of Kenyans using fake diplomas and degree certificates to get important jobs contrary to Chapter Six of the Constitution.

The EACC has recently stepped up its hunt for civil servants who hold fake academic papers. Thus, several people were arrested and sent to court.

According to the EACC report, which covers investigations conducted between April 1 and June 30 this year, the offenders are employed in various government institutions, including schools, colleges, parastatals, county governments and even the IEBC.

A Public Service Commission audit report of 331 government institutions shows that more than 2,000 Kenyans used fake academic and professional documents to get jobs in various ministries and parastatals.

The list included officers from the State Department of Internal Security and National Administration with 103 forged academic certificates, including 78 Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) certificates, two fake degree certificates and 23 fake degree certificates.

Some of the high-ranking state officers under investigation include sitting Members of Parliament, top county officers, legislative nominees, parastatal heads and medical officers who either falsified documents or assisted in the hiring of officers without the necessary academic credentials.