Former Machakos County Chief Officer Joseph Mutwiwa Munyao has been charged with allegedly using fake academic certificates to secure a senior position in the county government.
Munyao was arrested by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) on Monday, August 31 and arraigned at the Machakos Law Courts on Tuesday where he rejected all the charges.
He was released on cash bail of Ksh1 million or bond of Ksh2 million with a surety of a similar amount.
In relation to the investigations made by EACC, it has been alleged that Munyao had forged a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Accounting certificate issued by the University of Nairobi in 2004.
It has also emerged that the officer was using the fake Certified Public Accountants (CPA) Final Examination certificate issued on June 2019.
The EACC has alleged that Munyao has been using the two fake certificates in obtaining an appointment as Chief Officer of Industry and Innovation in Machakos County Government.
He served in the capacity of Chief Officer from January to November 2023 and earned salaries worth Ksh1.58 million.
EACC noted that their investigations into the matter were complete and file forwarded to the DPP, who authorized charges against the former government officer.
Munyao is currently facing charges of fraudulent acquisition of public property, uttering false documents and forging of academic certificates.
The EACC noted that it would seek another court order to recover the salary and other remunerations received by Munyao after getting the position through the dubious academic credentials.
The former chief officer will now face trial as the court determines whether the academic certificates were indeed forged and whether they were used to secure his appointment.
