Police in Eldoret have arrested four suspects on charges of printing and sale of fake KCSE exams, degree certificates. Detectives also seized copies of fake diploma certificates for Eldoret Polytechnic and certificates purported to be from Moi and Eldoret universities.
During the operation, the police also found fake rubber stamps, seals, computers, among other items used to print the fake documents.
Eldoret South police boss Wilson Abduba said the four, who were arrested in Langas after a tip-off by members of the public, have run the racket for over 10 years.
“They have given us crucial information to help arrest others,” Abduba told the Star on Wednesday.
He said the police are hunting for ten other suspects involved in the racket adding that those arrested attempted to print fake KCSE exams last month.
“We will hold the suspects in custody pending completion of investigations,” the police boss said.
The four are accused of minting millions of shillings by selling out the fake documents to members of the public.
“According to our preliminary findings, the suspects have conned many Kenyans for long.”
The arrest came in the wake of an audit revealing that employees of a regional authority in North Rift have suspicious degree certificates.
Fake rubber stamps and seals were also seized by police in the operation.
Police said the probe would be extended to the institutions where workers have been suspected of buying the fake certificates in order to get promotions.
Employees at one of the leading state parastatals based in Eldoret are under investigation.
At least 20 workers at the parastatal in the procurement department are alleged to have used fake academic certificates to get promotions.
Also hit by fake degree certificates are county governments.
During the operation, police also seized computers and other items used to print the fake documents after which they are sold out to a network of racketeers involved in the wide scheme.
Those arrested attempted to print fake KCSE exams last month.
In October, the Kenya National Qualifications Authority announced plans to establish an online database with information on all graduates from institutions of higher learning to weed out fake certificate holders.