Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i has announced that politicians with fake education certificates will not be allowed to vie for elective positions in the upcoming elections.
Dr Matiang'i stated categorically that the ministry would support the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in ensuring they nab politicians trying to use fake certificates in their political bids.
"We have an opportunity to protect the education system and eliminate this vice that is trying to pollute our education system as a country it is important to clean the education sector," he stated
The no-nonsense CS further stated that all the certification agencies would scrutinise every education certificate provided by aspirants in time, and that the ministry would put up a team to help the IEBC ensure that the vetting process is completed in time.
"All the certification agencies are here and will help in the vetting of all the academics credential of all the aspirants and provide the results back to the IEBC in good time," he emphasised
Matiang'i'i reiterated that they would also check the basic education qualifications such as the KCSE results to know if aspirants were qualified to pursue an undergraduate program in the university.
"It is not a matter of the Judiciary to tell us you have a degree or not and it is a simple matter it is either you have a degree or you don't have. it either you are qualified or not qualified," he alluded.
The Education CS also highlighted that his ministry would coordinate with various education agencies in different countries to vet the credentials of aspirants who studied abroad.
"We have a good relationship with other countries to vet aspirants who studied abroad, so the vetting process will be free and fair," he add
The CS further stated that aspirants who would be found with fake education certificates would not only be barred from contesting in the election but would also be prosecuted by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for committing a crime.
