The proverbial 40 days for Evans Rambeka, a ward administrator at the Kisii County government, came to an end after the High Court ruled that he used forged documents to secure himself a job.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), in its investigations, established that Mr. Rambeka forged diploma certificates in Human Resource Management purportedly issued by the Kenya Institute of Management.

As such, receiving salaries and allowances on the basis of the forged academic certificates amounted to fraudulent acquisition of public property, thus making such income liable for recovery and return to the public.

Lady Justice Esther Maina, in her judgement, said: “A declaration be and is hereby issued that the defendant's employment as a ward administrator by the Kisii County government was fraudulent, illegal from the start as it was secured using forged and altered documents.”

In the judgement, the Kisii High Court ordered the ward administrator to pay back Ksh.3.2 million fraudulently obtained as salaries and allowances in the course of his illegal employment.

EACC will now recover the said amount from the the county official who forged his academic certificates and used the same to secure a job at the Kisii County government.

The employee worked in the office for a period of 38 months and had been drawing salaries and allowances from public coffers.