Turkana Governor Jeremiah Ekamais is on the spotlight and faces arrest over forged academic papers, according to the anti-graft body.
The first-time governor, who was elected under the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition, has been on the radar of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC). He is accused of alleged forged academic papers that he used to successfully win his current seat.
The Anti-graft Czar has mentioned the governor as one of the beneficiaries of the electoral body’s incompetence in vetting those who were contesting different political positions before they were given clean bill of health.
According to the EACC, the governor had forged both Diploma and degree certificates from Kenya Methodist University (KeMU). The Twalib Mbarak-led agency is now protesting that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) turned a blind eye to their recommendation before the clearance.
If they succeed, the governor will be liable for offenses under Section 345 as read together with 349 of the Penal Code – which speaks about forgery charges.
The Governor was among the 241 candidates who were flagged by the EACC as having outstanding integrity issues prior to the August 9, 2022 elections, and their names were submitted to the IEBC.
The EACC blamed it all on the incapability of the IEBC, and their incompetence to handle grievous issues – like that one of forging academic papers to win a political seat. This comes in the wake of another case that almost dimmed Nairobi Johnson Sakaja’s political light.
Cases of forged academic papers are things that aren’t new in Kenya’s politics. A number of both former and current governors have had it rough to brush off that nauseating tag of forged academic papers.
Former Mombasa governor Ali Hassan Joho and his Nairobi counterpart Mike Sonko were among senior leaders whose academic credentials were under sharp scrutiny. Another case involved former Kiambu county governor Ferdinand Waititu, whose degree issues kept on coming to play whenever he’d express an interest in any seat.
