Many countries have put in place systems and regulatory bodies to detect and deter the use of falsified documents. In South Africa, they have the South African Qualification Authority while in the USA they have an organization, the National Clearing House that offers certificate verification services. The cases of falsified and fake certificates are however on the rise globally.
We all are aware of how some students based abroad genuinely graduate without having been in class or done assignments or examinations. Such instead pay other people to do this for them and hence the rise of academic writing jobs, especially in Africa. You can imagine an engineer, a nurse, or a medical doctor out there whose assignments and examinations have been done by a Kenyan student for cash. In my opinion, this is the worst form of fake academic qualifications.
The case of some politicians presenting fake academic certificates for clearance by IEBC is not new. The Academic qualifications for some of those cleared to vie for various positions are in question. At one time CUE questioned the number of students who graduated with Ph.D. in some universities. In this political season, it looks like those employed are looking for degrees and those with authentic degrees are looking for employment, how ironic.
Fake academic qualifications can either be through procuring a certificate from fake universities that sell them for whatever reason. Others have fake academic qualifications because they falsified their academic transcripts or even copied examinations and are unable to perform their duties when given an opportunity. Others falsify other people’s documents and make them their own. There are others who pay other people to do assignments and examinations for them.
There are people who have genuine certificates but fake academic transcripts, the final grades, or even the classification. Technology has made it easier for people with no integrity to falsify their qualifications. I find it funny that people cannot quickly justify their qualifications. I mean who doesn’t have classmates in primary, secondary, or university? Why would it be difficult to simply produce your classmate as your witness?
We all know in Kenya the minimum entry for quite some time is a C minus for a certificate, a C plain for a diploma, and C Plus and above for a degree. How someone who had a D minus has a degree is funny unless they went to University elsewhere. Anyhow all said and done universities must jealously guard their reputation and follow the guidelines as stipulated in the various government bodies.
I don’t think it is difficult to verify a certificate for any person in this country or is it? If you have genuine academic qualifications tag your classmate in this article.
Without integrity, nothing works and a person who has no integrity has no place in leadership.
Your thoughts?
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Dr. Mary Mugo
Strategy, Governance, and Management Consultant.
I like the punch line “someone without intergrity has no place in leadership. I will honestly vote for someone without a degree but has demonstrated leadership and is a man or women of intergrity.
On the issue of holder a degree holder who had a D in KCSE I would think it will vary from institution to another ( especially private). People progress from certificate onwards.
It was a nice read.
Thank you. In Kenya, the entry for certificate is C minus for all universities whether private or public and so it doesn’t matter.Someone is simply not following the CUE guidelines