A Nairobi court has delivered a strong message against fraud and deception in public institutions through a recent judgment involving a long-serving employee of the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company.
The employee, identified as Felix Ojwang Balamu, was found guilty of using a fake Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education certificate to secure employment and earn millions of shillings over more than a decade.
According to court findings, Balamu joined the company on November 9, 2011, and continued working until his deceit was uncovered.
During this time, he earned a total of Ksh.8.2 million in salaries, all obtained through false pretence. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission began investigating him after receiving complaints about his academic qualifications.
The probe revealed that the KCSE certificate he had presented to the company was forged and did not originate from the Kenya National Examinations Council as claimed.
Once the investigations confirmed the forgery, the case was forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, which approved formal charges. Balamu was arraigned before the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court on February 25, 2025, facing four charges that included forgery, fraudulent acquisition of public property, deceiving a principal, and presenting a false document.
The case proceeded with detailed testimonies and evidence showing how he managed to mislead his employer for several years.
In her ruling delivered on October 10, 2025, Senior Principal Magistrate Selesa Okore stated that the evidence presented in court clearly proved Balamu’s guilt beyond doubt. She said the accused deliberately falsified his academic background and benefitted from taxpayer-funded salaries through dishonest means.
The court noted that his actions not only violated the trust placed in him as a public employee but also deprived qualified Kenyans of legitimate employment opportunities.
The magistrate imposed a fine of Ksh.8,243,562, equivalent to the total amount he had fraudulently received in salaries. In addition, Balamu was ordered to pay Ksh.100,000 for each of the other offences, including deceiving a principal and presenting a fake KCSE certificate.
Should he fail to pay the fines, he will serve four years in prison, with the sentences running concurrently.
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