NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 17 – President William Ruto says 2,100 civil servants with fraudulent certificates should refund public funds and quit or face prosecution.

Speaking during the Third National Wage Bill Conference, the head of state indicated that should they not do this, both the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) will pursue them.

“The 2,100 identified people who have been earning government wages and salaries with fake certificates, they should just refund the money we pay them as salary and wages so that we stop the the games otherwise the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) must move with full speed to recover public resources that were spent on this bill,” President Ruto said.

He also urged those with counterfeit credentials in government positions to resign voluntarily.

“It will not be business as usual as we go into the future. it is impunity of the highest level for any person to walk into a government of this knowing very well that they have a fake certificate and actually get a job,” he added

With an annual education budget of Sh650 billion, President Ruto emphasized that there was no justification for not obtaining legitimate qualifications.

“You should be able to take advantage of the 650 billion and get yourself a proper certificate. I don’t think that it’s too much so that at least we can hire,” President Ruto said.

Echoing the sentiments of President Ruto, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua called for decisive action to remove those with fake certificates.

“This issue of fake certificates I think it’s a quick win for us, if we make a decision to get rid of all the fellows and characters with fake certificates probably we could knock out 10,000 people from the wage bill and probably recover a billion or two,” DP Gachagua said

He encouraged President Ruto to maintain his firm stance, highlighting the positive impact of such decisions on the nation’s progress.

“In this matter of fake certificates your excellency I want to encourage you make hard decisions that will be beneficial to this country and that will form part of your legacy,” he added

DP Gachagua also highlighted a new program, ‘Recognition of Prior Learning,’ that has been introduced to validate the skills and competencies of individuals, providing a legitimate pathway for those without formal qualifications.

Both leaders emphasized the need for a strategic approach to tackle public service challenges, including the eradication of fake certificates, wage bill reduction, and the improvement of productivity and accountability..

The conference highlighted the critical issue of fake certificates and the need for a balanced approach to public service restructuring, a goal set to maintain essential services while improving efficiency and fiscal management.

This move is part of an ongoing crackdown on fraudulent activities within the public service.

This initiative gained momentum after the Public Service Commission submitted a report highlighting 1,280 cases of forged certificates from 91 public institutions and 787 from various ministries, state departments, and agencies to the DCI and Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for further action.