The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) issued a directive on Monday, March 11, ordering an immediate halt to salary payments for civil servants found to have submitted forged documents for employment.

This directive came in response to a report released by the Public Service Commission (PSC) highlighting the widespread use of fake credentials by individuals securing positions within the public sector.

In its latest directive, the EACC instructed all public institutions to verify the academic and professional certificates of their employees thoroughly.

The EACC circular revealed that investigations had uncovered instances where public institutions allowed employees facing allegations of academic forgery to resign or retire early. Despite these allegations, the institutions proceeded to process terminal benefits for these individuals without adhering to legal protocols.

"To this end, the Commission advises that all accounting/authorized officers should not process benefits including; pensions or unpaid allowances and accrued leave to persons found to have used fraudulent academic qualifications to gain employment in the public service," stated EACC Chief Executive Officer Twalib Mbarak.

Government organizations were instructed to promptly report any employees found with fake certificates to the EACC.

This directive comes on the heels of a warning issued by the EACC a month prior, highlighting the complicity of certain government institutions in shielding civil servants with forged documents.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) Report on Authentication of Academic and Professional Certificates revealed that over 2,000 public servants were discovered to be using fake credentials, adversely affecting service delivery and impeding the nation's educational and economic progress.

The impact of this directive will be felt across both national and county government entities.