Fake academic papers have no place in Kenya
Fake academic certificates found when two suspects were arrested in Eldoret town on October 30, 2019.
What you need to know:
- The cut-throat competition for plum jobs using fake certificates has finally caught up with institutions of higher learning.
- This is particularly alarming, considering that universities are supposed to be citadels of academic excellence.
Forging academic papers to obtain employment appears to be gaining a foothold in Kenya. This vice afflicts both public and private sectors. The media have continued to highlight forgery cases involving politicians, doctors, engineers, pilots and now professors holding questionable degrees.
The cut-throat competition for plum jobs using fake certificates has finally caught up with institutions of higher learning. This is particularly alarming, considering that universities are supposed to be citadels of academic excellence, where the crème de la crème of academia conduct verifiable scientific research to transform societies and communities through innovation.
Reports of top managers of universities being investigated over questionable doctorate degrees is a spectre of academic dishonesty. Gatekeepers of academic standards who embrace the vice of cheating are a national shame — nay, anathema — to the academy. They visit unwarranted mortification upon the institutions they lead. The irony of such pretenders to the throne elbowing their way into positions of influence deserves to be researched as a PhD topic!
Eliminating academic fakers
The Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) has indicated that one in three Kenyans hold fake academic papers. This is a horrific revelation, considering the premium that society places on education.
A justification of eliminating academic fakers is to protect the integrity of our education and secure the future. Studying for a PhD, for instance, is not a walk in the park and, as such, academic cheats out to cut corners when seeking employment must be dealt with.
As we await the outcome of investigations to establish the veracity of the suspected forged papers, institutions of higher learning must invigorate mechanisms of verifying the academic certificates of prospective employees by involving organs such as KNQA in the recruitment to avoid the ignominy of managers with fake PhDs.
Charles Wagunda is a communication lecturer at Rongo University. [email protected]
