An Eldoret court has been told of a widespread fraud scheme at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in which more than 28 forged academic and professional documents were used to secure jobs in critical departments at the facility.
Testifying before Senior Principal Magistrate Peter Areri, the hospital’s Director of Human Resource Management Anne Chemworsoio disclosed that some employees used fake credentials not only to gain employment but also to secure promotions over the past decade.
In a striking revelation, Chemworsoio told the court that one staff member earned over Sh3.7 million in salary using forged academic papers.
The testimony came in a case involving Enock Kipruto Rotich, who is charged with presenting fake academic documents to obtain employment at the country’s second-largest referral hospital. Rotich, who is out on bond, has denied the charges.
According to the court, Rotich was first employed as a casual security guard in October 2014 after presenting a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) with a Grade D. Despite the documents later being found to be forged, he was promoted to the position of senior security guard under job grade MTRH 14, and later advanced to MTRH 13.
Chemworsoio stated that the promotion was based on academic qualifications as required under the hospital’s security guards scheme of service approved in 2002.
Rotich is also said to have served in multiple roles, including as a driver in the transport department from February 15, 2021, until his eventual dismissal.
The court heard that verification of his academic documents by the Kenya National Examinations Council revealed that the KCSE certificate he submitted was not authentic. Further investigations showed that Rotich neither registered nor sat for the 2002 KCSE exams at Kitany Secondary School in Elgeyo Marakwet County.
Instead, the index number on the certificate belonged to a different candidate, identified as Chepsoi Kiprotich.
Following the findings, the hospital initiated disciplinary proceedings, but Rotich failed to respond to a show-cause letter or appear before the disciplinary committee in September 2023.
Chemworsoio told the court that his employment was terminated effective May 22, 2023, and that he was informed of his right to appeal to the hospital’s board within six weeks.
The court further heard that the discovery of multiple forged documents has raised serious concerns over the integrity of recruitment and promotion processes within the institution. Officials indicated that an internal audit was launched to review staff credentials across departments, particularly those in sensitive and technical units.
Chemworsoio noted that the hospital has since tightened its hiring procedures, including mandatory verification of academic and professional certificates with relevant bodies before employment is confirmed. She added that the management is working closely with investigative agencies to identify and take action against all individuals found to have secured employment fraudulently.
Additionally, the court was told that the outcome of the ongoing case could inform broader policy changes within public health institutions to curb document fraud. Legal experts following the proceedings say the case underscores the need for stricter enforcement of verification protocols and accountability mechanisms in public service recruitment.
The case is ongoing.
