Kenya's National Police Service (NPS) says it is examining a video in which nominated Senator Karen Nyamu describes helping a political supporter obtain a forged secondary school certificate so that he could be recruited into the police.

What the senator said

According to Citizen Digital and Kenyans.co.ke, Nyamu made the remarks in an interview with Radio Generation on Friday, 23 October 2026. She said she had wanted to reward members of her campaign team who did not have Form Four (KCSE) certificates, and described forging one for a supporter. Both outlets reported her as saying, in Swahili, that "we forged" a Form Four certificate.

In her account, the supporter went on to train at Kiganjo Police Training College but was later arrested after the forged document was detected. Nyamu said roughly 18 recruits were removed from training after fake certificates were found. The supporter has not been publicly named.

Police response

In a statement issued on Saturday, 24 October, NPS spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said the service was examining the video. The statement described the senator's remarks as "regrettable and unacceptable", noting that they came from a lawmaker and legal counsel.

The NPS said the case she referred to was one of several suspected document forgeries detected at the training college, and that recruits who presented fraudulent documents were expelled. It said forged documents cannot succeed in police recruitment. Citizen Digital reported that the statement cited Article 245(4)(c) of Kenya's Constitution and a Court of Appeal decision in support of the service's handling of recruitment.

Neither outlet reported a response from Nyamu to the police statement at the time of publication. The NPS has not announced any charges, and the senator's remarks have not been tested in any court.

The episode comes amid a sustained push in Kenya against forged academic papers in public employment. In recent weeks the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has charged several former public officers over allegedly forged KCSE certificates, and courts have fined others under plea agreements.

Why verification at intake matters

Security agencies that recruit in large numbers are a frequent target for forged school certificates. Checking each certificate directly with the national examinations body before training begins, rather than after, reduces the chance that forged papers lead to an appointment, and protects genuine candidates who compete for the same places.

Sources

This News Desk report summarises information published by the sources above, written in our own words. Persons named in criminal matters are accused, not convicted, unless a court has ruled otherwise. To report an error, use our contact page.

KenyaKCSEPolice recruitmentForged certificatesNational Police Service

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