Three years in jail for man who forged Maseno University degree to be a teacher, defilement charges pending

VIHIGA: An impostor teacher, who forged Maseno University degree certificate and transcripts in order to get an employment, was slapped with a three year jail term at the Principal Magistrate's Court in Vihiga.

Joseph Mirambo Karanja appeared before Principal Magistrate Grace Mmasi on Friday for the judgement of his case that has been in the court since May last year, where he was convicted on two counts.

He was accused of forgery and presenting altered documents to Shamakhokho secondary school with intention of deceiving its principal, so that he could be considered for employment.

The accused used two different certificates with conflicting graduation dates, serial numbers and names.

"He presented scanned copies of the documents to the principal of the school, Mr Christopher Otieno, and became evasive when the principal demanded original copies of the same certificates," the judgement read in part.

The principal sought to verify the genuineness of the certificates and went to Maseno University.

On the documents the accused had indicated that he graduated on November 23, 2013 of which the records in the university indicated graduation occurred on November 16, 2013.

He had taught at Shamakhokho for almost four months starting January 1, 2014 to April of the same year, and had also taught in four other schools within Vihiga county.

The university established that the said certificate of serial number 090640 had not also been issued by its senate on the said year but in 2009 and belonged to one Tirop Elphas Kipchirchir.

The certificate however had the name Stephen Mwigale Akaranga, who graduated in 2013 and whose serial number was 131097 and used to teach with the accused at Senende High School in Hamisi constituency.

"The certificate didn't have a hologram at the top right hand corner as is usually the norm and the Vice Chancellor who had signed on the document was not the one in the university on the purported date of graduation," the judgement read.

The court found Mirambo guilty of having swapped two certificates, but failed to completely verify the authenticity of the final document that had conflicting information from that provided by the university.

"The accused has been found guilty on both accounts, and though he has pleaded in mitigation as the family's sole breadwinner, the offense is criminal and prevalent. He will serve three years on each account with the sentences running concurrently," said Mmasi.

Mirambo also faces charges of defilement at the Hamisi Law Courts, where he is accused of having defiled one of his students at Shamakhokho secondary school during his tenure there.