The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has initiated investigations into alleged forgery of academic documents linked to a staff member of the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC), as a dispute over the authenticity of a certificate continues.

The case involves Loise Nyambura Wamburu, a Personal Secretary I at Parliament, who is being investigated over concerns raised during an internal verification of her academic records. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission is also said to be involved in related inquiries.

The matter began on December 4, 2024, when the PSC wrote to Wamburu informing her that a routine verification exercise had flagged a Business Education Examination certificate in her file.

The Commission indicated that the certificate was allegedly obtained from Gakeo College of Business Studies in 2022 and was not recognised as an authentic document issued by the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC).

In its communication, the PSC warned that forgery is a criminal offence that could lead to prosecution and termination of employment. Wamburu was given seven days to respond, and her salary was stopped pending clarification.

In her response dated December 11, 2024, Wamburu expressed regret over what she termed as “the circumstances of the single paper in question” and asked the Commission to consider her other academic qualifications.

“I highly regret the circumstances of the single paper in question and kindly request that you consider my other academic and professional qualifications at the point of employment which qualified me to perform the functions of a Personal Secretary,” she stated.

She also appealed for leniency, saying she was willing to continue serving under the terms of her employment qualifications.

“I humbly request for leniency on the matter at hand: Sir, I am willing to continue serving as a Secretary at the scale which I was employed with using my academic qualifications,” she said.

On January 8, 2025, the PSC suspended her from duty through a letter signed by Senate Clerk and Secretary to the Commission J.M. Nyegenye. The suspension was issued under the PSC Human Resource Policies and Procedures Manual, pending the determination of the matter.

“In view of the foregoing and pursuant to Clause 15.5.2 (d) and (f) of the Parliamentary Service Commission Human Resource Policies and Procedure Manual, it has been decided that you should be and are hereby suspended from exercising the functions of your office with immediate effect pending the consideration and determination of the matter by the Parliamentary Service Commission,” the letter stated.

In a subsequent communication dated January 31, 2025, Wamburu clarified her earlier position, stating that her initial appeal should not be interpreted as an admission of wrongdoing.

She further challenged the implication that she was responsible for any alleged falsification of documents.

“The Commission communicated that I had supplied to the Commission a forged and unauthentic Business Education Examination Certificate obtained from Geico College of Business Studies in 2021 with an intention to defraud it,” she stated.

Wamburu said the situation had caused her financial and emotional distress, noting that her salary was stopped immediately after suspension.

“My salary had been stopped immediately, thereby occasioning me great financial distress as I am a single mother taking care of 4 dependents who are all below the age 18 years.” she wrote.

She maintained that she had no reason to submit the disputed document, stating that she already held qualifications that met the requirements for her role and promotion considerations.

“I did not therefore have any motivation to supply the said Business Education Examination Certificate obtained from Geico College of Business Studies in 2022 to the Commission to influence my promotion as I was already qualified,” she said.

Wamburu further noted that her promotion had been based on competitive interviews and that her academic background had not been questioned.

She also stated: “While the Commission has established that certificate is not authentic and I don’t dispute the same since I have never obtained and supplied the certificate, no evidence has been tendered to show that I was responsible for the forgery.”

She added in the same letter of January 31, 2025: “I therefore reitelate that my request for hearing and plea for liniency was not in any way an admission to the charge of forging the said document with intent to defraud the commission, but rather a request for special consideration given the unfortunate circumstances and the immense financial and mental pressure I was under coupled with the fact that no information was supplied on how the strange certificate alluded to got into my records,” she said.

DCI sources confirm that investigators are reviewing employment records dating back to 2016 as part of the ongoing probe. No formal determination has been announced.

The investigations come amid wider scrutiny of academic credentials in public institutions. Both the DCI and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission are handling various related cases.