The war on employment fraud in Kenya’s public institutions has claimed another scalp. A Kisii County Assembly official, David Geoffrey Ombiro, is at the center of a criminal investigation after allegedly forging a string of official documents to fraudulently secure a county job.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) confirmed the arrest, describing Ombiro as a man who “deliberately manipulated his identity to cheat the system.” The official, employed as an Administrative Officer, is accused of falsifying his birth certificate, altering his year of birth from 1967 to 1973, before obtaining a National Identity Card reflecting the doctored details.
But Ombiro’s forgery did not stop there. Investigators allege he went further, fabricating a Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) PIN, NHIF card, and NSSF card—all to support the falsified identity he presented when applying for employment at the Kisii County Assembly.
“These forgeries enabled the suspect to fraudulently secure public employment and benefits at the expense of genuine candidates,” EACC stated in its Wednesday, September 10 release.
Criminal Charges Filed
The case file, forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), resulted in multiple charges being approved:
One count of deceiving a principal under the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act, 2003.
Five counts of forgery under the Penal Code.
Five counts of uttering a false document under the Penal Code.
Ombiro was processed at EACC’s South Nyanza Regional Office and later held at Kisii Central Police Station. On Wednesday, he was arraigned before the Kisii Anti-Corruption Court, where he pleaded not guilty. The court released him on a Ksh150,000 bond with one surety or cash bail of Ksh70,000.
Part of a Bigger Pattern
Ombiro’s case is not an isolated one. The EACC has increasingly flagged document forgery as a systemic problem eating into the public sector. Recent prosecutions reveal a disturbing trend:
In Nairobi, Lawrence Masinde Barasa, a former ICT Assistant at the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company, was convicted of siphoning Ksh7.1 million in public funds using a forged academic certificate.
Dorothy Jepkoech Kiptoo, an employee of the Office of the Auditor General, was charged with forging a KCSE certificate purportedly issued by KNEC.
Teresia Chepkemoi Chepkwony, also at Nairobi City Water, was arraigned after investigators found she used a fake KCSE certificate to secure employment, drawing Ksh7.59 million in salaries and benefits.
Crackdown on Fake Credentials
EACC Chief Executive Officer Abdi Mohamud has repeatedly warned that fraudulent job seekers are undermining public trust and draining resources meant for service delivery.
“These prosecutions are a warning shot to individuals who believe they can forge their way into public service. We will continue dismantling these networks,” he said.
For Ombiro, what began as a calculated attempt to beat the system has landed him in the crosshairs of Kenya’s anti-graft watchdog. His trial is set to put fresh spotlight on the integrity of county recruitment processes, already under fire for nepotism, bribery, and fraud.
If convicted, Ombiro faces severe penalties including fines, dismissal, and jail time, in a case that underscores how far corruption has penetrated Kenya’s devolved units.
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