The Public Service Commission (PSC) has attributed its difficulty in decisively curbing the proliferation of fake academic certificates in the civil service to ageing technology.

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PSC Chairman Francis Meja said the Commission’s verification systems are outdated, slow and costly, creating loopholes that have been exploited by job seekers using forged credentials.

“The Commission is relying on old technology to verify and weed out fake papers. As a result, the process takes too long and is expensive,” Meja said.

However, the PSC chairman said the agency has now adopted a new strategy and is working with other government institutions, such as the Commission for University Education (CUE), to address the challenge.

PSC is also working with the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) to roll out a modern, integrated system capable of instantly authenticating academic documents.

Instead of relying on manual background checks when authenticating academic papers, PSC says it has developed an ICT system integrated with the other agencies that will make it easier to detect fraudulent documents.

“We are carrying out reforms with the two institutions that will enable us to detect a fake academic document at the press of a button,” the PSC chairman said.

Meja was speaking last evening while appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Cohesion and Equal Opportunities during a session at Bunge Tower.

This emerged as lawmakers increased pressure on the agency over staffing gaps and governance concerns.

Meja maintained that the Commission is undergoing far-reaching reforms aimed at modernising its operations and restoring integrity in public service hiring.

“The system we are using is 15 years old. We are making major changes that will have a positive impact. I urge the Committee to support an increase in our budget so we can fund our programmes effectively,” he said.

The remarks were in response to concerns raised by Ndhiwa MP Martin Owino, who questioned the Commission’s failure to stem the rising use of forged certificates to secure public jobs and promotions.

The session also highlighted internal capacity challenges at the PSC, with Chief Executive Officer Paul Famba disclosing a significant staffing shortfall that is hampering operations.

“The approved staff establishment is 518, but we currently have only 273 employees, leaving a gap of 245,” Famba told MPs.

Lawmakers termed the situation ironic, noting that a body mandated to recruit public servants is itself understaffed, with Luanda MP Dick Maungu urging the Commission to lead by example by filling vacant positions.

“If PSC, whose core mandate is to hire public servants, is complaining about staff shortages, what about other State agencies?” posed Maungu.

The committee further pushed back on the Commission’s proposal to decentralise services to the county level, terming the plan overly ambitious given current budgetary constraints.

“Your plan to move services to the county level is very ambitious. Due to a lack of resources, you should start by decentralising to regional levels first,” Kisumu Central MP Joshua Oron said.

Concerns over governance also emerged, with Committee Chair Adan Yussuf Haji questioning why six officers above the mandatory retirement age of 60 remain on the PSC payroll.

“What justification do you have for keeping retirees in your system while many young people remain unemployed?” he asked.

Malava MP Athman Ndakwa echoed the concern, attributing persistent challenges in the public service to the absence of a clear employment policy.

“Chairman Meja, I hope you are the new broom that will clean up corruption, nepotism and other bad practices in the Commission,” he said.

On youth employment, Famba told the committee that the PSC has recruited 8,200 interns since 2019, supported by an annual budget of Sh2 billion for stipends. He, however, noted that additional funding is required to sustain and expand the programme.

“We need more resources to support recruitment, training, monitoring and evaluation of interns,” he said.