Up to 400 port employees at the Kenyan port of Mombasa face a worrying time after Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) revealed that they are suspected of having used false certificates to gain employment.
According to Standard media nearly 400 employees drawn from across all departments and from all ranks were issued with letters last week demanding proof of their identity and education.
They were told to answer the charges or face action against them by this Friday. One employee told the newspaper, “We have been given 72 hours to ‘show cause’ why action should not be taken against us over the fake documents.”
KPA managing director Gichiri Ndua confirmed that an order to scrutinise all employee certificates had been issued but said he was unaware that 400 employees had been singled out. “It is true we are scrutinising documents of all employees and will take appropriate action if anybody is found to have presented a fake certificate,” said Mr Ndua.
Simon Sang, secretary-general of the Dock Workers Union said he was aware of the allegations although the KPA had not issued the union with any official notification.
The investigation follows an incident two years ago when a senior port manager was found to have not sat for his ‘O’ level examination and had altered documents to show that he had a Masters degree from the UK.