IEBC: Only digital academic papers allowed for candidates seeking positions

KNQA director-general Dr Juma Mukhwana [File]

All candidates seeking elective positions will be required to produce a digital certificate for their academic papers.

The Standard has established that Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) will rely on the digital certificate generated by the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) before clearing candidates to run for elective seats.

KNQA is the body mandated in law to harmonise education and to undertake quality assurance of all qualifications in Kenya.

The agency has partnered with IEBC to bar candidates who will present bogus academic papers for nominations in the upcoming elections.

KNQA director-general Dr Juma Mukhwana said an online portal has been created where all candidates will upload their academic certificates for authentication.

He said the Kenya National Recognition Equation and Verification (KNREV) portal will be the one-stop verifier of all academic papers of persons wishing to contest in upcoming elections.

“All candidates from the president to MCAs will be required to log in and create their account where they will upload all their academic papers,” said Mukhwana.

He said KNQA officers will conduct thorough verification of all the papers by contacting the institutions that awarded the qualifications and also using its systems to check their validity.

“We shall contact all universities, colleges and any other institutions that have awarded qualifications and do thorough cross check to ensure only authentic documents are approved,” said Mukhwana.

He said once the verification is completed, a digital certificate will be available for the candidates.

“This is what candidates will print and present to the IEBC alongside their academic papers. The elections agency will rely on this to be sure all the documents presented to them are legitimate and were awarded genuinely,” said Mukhwana.

This is happening at a time MPs want to postpone implementation of sections of the law that requires politicians to have some level of academic qualifications to contest seats. 

Mukhwana said the online portal is ready for the exercise.

“We shall open the portal as soon as IEBC shall advise. We expect this portal to go live ahead of candidates’ nominations,” said Mukhwana.

He said that the agency will also rely on its database called National Qualification Information Management System (NAQIMS).

This is an automated system established by the Authority to accredit all training institutions and to register all national qualifications.

Mukhwana said universities and assessment/examinations agencies are already uploading their data which will be used during verification.

The system also helps in maintaining the national learners’ records and contains information from all sectors on education and training system.

A brief from the authority shows that the system also provides data on qualifications turnover, student dropout rates, completion rates, preferred qualifications, numbers of graduates, and any other desired statistics.

Mukhwana said the system also provides a central source for nationally recognised qualifications awarding institutions, the qualifications that they are mandated to award and the learners that graduate.

Overall, the system contains a national learner’s database for skills, certifications and test scores.

Under the automated process, it will be easy to verify a student’s certifications.

The development is part of the wider efforts to stamp out fake academic papers to ensure a level playground for job seekers and those vying for elective positions.

Mukhwana said KNQA has also teamed up with investigative agencies to eliminate fake papers. 

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Ethics and Anti Corruption Authority and the Immigration Department have also been roped in to help in the fight against fake academic papers.