Cleric-turned-MCA wanted for forging KCSE certificate

When he was campaigning in Kiambu County for an elective seat in the 2017 General Election, Pastor Robert Githongo of the Africa Independent Pentecostal Church outlined quality education as part of his agenda for the electorate.

Mr Githongo went on to win the Kiamwangi Ward seat.

IRONIC

Today, it is ironic that a man of the cloth is now wanted by the authorities after the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) recommended his prosecution, saying he had forged academic documents to join Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) for a leadership programme.

A Kenya Gazette EACC notice published on Friday said Mr Githongo forged a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) slip to enrol for a diploma course at JKUAT and eventually graduated in 2016.

“The investigations commenced following an anonymous report that the suspect, a Member of Kiambu County Assembly representing Kiamwangi Ward, used a forged KCSE certificate to enrol for a diploma certificate at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology,” reads the notice.

“Investigations revealed that the suspect applied for and was admitted to study for a Diploma in Governance and Leadership using a 1997 KCSE Certificate from Murera Secondary School and subsequently graduated on 25/11/2016. Kenya National Examinations Council confirmed that the KCSE certificate was fake and the university’s senate on 24/5/2017 withdrew the diploma certificate issued to him,” the notice reads.

WITHDRAWN

EACC says its investigations have revealed that the suspect had submitted Self-Declaration Forms (A1) to EACC pursuant to Section 13 of the Leadership and Integrity Act in which he declared that he was a diploma holder.

“In 2019, a report was compiled and forwarded to DPP with recommendations to charge the MCA with the offences of deceiving the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission contrary to section 12 A as read with section 46 (1) (b) and section 46 (2) of the Leadership and Integrity Act, making a false document contrary to section 347 (a) as read together with Section 349 of the Penal Code and uttering a false document contrary to Section 353 of the Penal Code. The DPP concurred with the commission’s recommendation for prosecution,” says the notice

When the Nation reached out to Mr Githongo via email and text messages, he refused to comment on the matter.

On Tuesday, JKUAT confirmed to the Nation that indeed, the university had withdrawn the diploma certificate issued to Mr Githongo after confirming that he had forged a KCSE certificate to enrol for a leadership programme.

INVESTIGATIONS

“It is true that the certificate issued to Robert Githongo on November 25, 2016, was withdrawn after the matter was tabled. The senate withdrew the certificate. JKUAT wrote to the principal of the said secondary school where Githongo is said to have studied, that is Murera Secondary School, who confirmed that he had never enrolled in the school and that the certificate was forged,” said Dr Hindzano Ngonyo, JKUAT’s chief corporate communications officer, in an interview with Nation.

Mr Githongo had presented a forged certificate to JKUAT indicating that he had scored a C+ mean grade from Murera Secondary School.

The university says it further wrote to Knec requesting it to authenticate the certificate and it was found to be fake.

“It was upon such thorough internal investigations and that by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission that the decision to withdraw the certificate was reached. The decision still stands,” said Mr Ngonyo.