Senior HR manager at Govt. company in court for forging degree and B- KCSE certificate; she’s been practicing for 8 years

A Human Resource manager at the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) has been charged with forging her bachelor’s degree and KCSE certificate.

Irene Chesang is accused of forging a Bachelor of Science Degree in International Business Administration from the United States International University Africa (USIU-Africa). The accused claims she was awarded the degree on June 17, 2000.

Chesang also faces litigation over alleged forgery of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) credentials, in which she allegedly awarded herself a B- (Minus) grade in the 1996 national test. The accused claims she sat the exam at Solian Girls’ High School in Eldama Ravine Constituency, Baringo County.

Chesang, who is facing 13 counts of forgery, is also accused of forging her USIU undergraduate degree transcripts dated 1997 to 2000.

The court heard that while seeking a Human Resources Officer job at REREC on November 10, 2012 and on January 17, 2013, Chesang presented to Rose Mkalama, one of the agency’s administrators, the forged documents.

The accused would, again on January 31, 2018, present the same documents while seeking promotion to the position of Principal Human Resource Officer at REREC, the court heard.

While appearing before the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti on Friday, February 5, Chesang failed to take plea because she “could not compose herself” as she spent most of her time in the dock crying.

Magistrate Ogoti, consequently, deferred Chesang’s plea-taking to Tuesday, February 9, urging the accused’s lawyer to prepare her mentally for the process.

The suspect was, during the same mention, charged with forging a letter, which stated she was lawfully exempted from writing the June 29, 2008 Kenya Accountants and Secretaries National Examination Board (KASNEB) tests. Chesang allegedly forged the letter to suggest it had been authored by KASNEB.

The accused is also charged with fraudulently obtaining a public property valued at Ksh10.1 million from the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC).