Kenya Launches Crackdown on Foreign Students with Fake Documents and Qualifications

The government through the Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA) has launched a crackdown on students who use fake documents to secure admission to universities in Kenya and abroad.

KNQA Director-General Dr. Juma Mukhwana on Monday said the clampdown is part of a global network of institutions' effort to ensure that only students with legitimate documents are enrolled in universities and colleges.

KNQA is a State agency that was established under the Kenya National Qualifications Framework Act no 22 of 2014 to scrutinize foreign qualifications and certify their holders on merit.

Through a collaboration with the African Qualifications Verification Network (AQVN), KNQA looks to upscale its operations to ensure comprehensive scrutiny of documents and qualifications to check their conformity to the standards set by the government.

Henceforth, individuals with foreign qualifications must first have their documents examined by KNQA through AQVN before they get a job in Kenya.

“So our work has brought harmony and order in this sector. Employers now refer all employees with foreign qualifications to the KNQA for the equation before employing them. Universities and higher educational institutions similarly do the same before admitting students,” said Mukhwana.

Mukhwana indicated that Kenya receives at least 30,000 applications from foreign students seeking to study in Kenya annually, with most of them coming from Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, and DRC Congo.

“We are now keenly monitoring the number of students coming into the country to study and Kenyans leaving the country to study in other countries. Popular foreign qualifications for Kenyans include those from Britain, Australia, USA, Canada, and South Africa,” he noted.