A former Deputy Director at the Office of the Auditor-General has been charged with allegedly using a forged university degree certificate to secure employment and fraudulently earning more than Sh28.4 million in salaries.

Anna Wambui Mwaura appeared before Chief Magistrate Harrison Barasa on Friday and pleaded not guilty to five counts of corruption, forgery and giving false information.

The prosecution alleges that between February 3, 2013 and May 23, 2024, Mwaura fraudulently acquired public property amounting to Sh28,468,754.14 while working at the Office of the Auditor-General, formerly known as the Kenya National Audit Office.

She is alleged to have served initially as an Assistant Manager-Audit before rising to the position of Deputy Director-Audit.

According to the charge sheet, Mwaura secured the employment using a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting Option), Second Class Honours (Upper Division) degree certificate purportedly issued by Mount Kenya University.

The prosecution alleges that the Office of the Auditor-General relied on the certificate when employing her.

Mwaura is also accused of deceiving a principal by providing false information in her employment application.

The prosecution alleges that on February 3, 2014, she stated that she had obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting from Mount Kenya University between 2008 and 2010, despite allegedly knowing the information to be false.

She faces a separate count of forgery under the Penal Code.

The prosecution alleges that on an unknown date and at an unknown place in Kenya, Mwaura forged a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting Option), Second Class Honours (Upper Division) degree certificate in her name.

She is accused of presenting the document as an authentic certificate issued by Mount Kenya University, despite allegedly knowing that it was not genuine.

In another count, Mwaura is accused of uttering a false document.

The prosecution alleges that on or about February 4, 2014, while serving as an Assistant Manager-Audit, she knowingly and fraudulently presented the certificate to the Office of the Auditor-General as a genuine document issued by the university.

She also faces a charge of providing false information to a public entity contrary to the Leadership and Integrity Act.

The prosecution alleges that in July 2013, Mwaura submitted a curriculum vitae stating that she held a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting from Mount Kenya University, which she had allegedly attained in 2010.

The information, the prosecution claims, was false and was intended to help her secure employment.

Following the plea, her lawyer, Amati, asked the court to release her on reasonable bail terms.
The defence sought a Sh300,000 bond and requested the court to order a refund of the Sh100,000 police bail previously paid.

The lawyer also asked the prosecution to supply the defence with witness statements and other documents relating to the case.

The prosecution did not oppose the accused's release but asked the court to impose stringent conditions.

The prosecutor asked Mwaura to surrender her passport and comply with all orders issued by the court, saying the prosecution would also supply the defence with the necessary documents.
The charges followed investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

The Commission established that Mwaura allegedly submitted a forged Bachelor of Commerce degree certificate purportedly issued by Mount Kenya University to secure employment at the Office of the Auditor-General.

EACC further alleged that at the time she presented the certificate, Mwaura was still a student at the university and had not graduated.

In his ruling, Chief Magistrate Barasa said he had considered the charges facing Mwaura and the prosecution's position on her application for bail.

He released her on a Sh1 million bond or an alternative cash bail of Sh450,000.

The magistrate also directed Mwaura to surrender her passport to the court by close of business on Friday.

She was further ordered not to interfere with prosecution witnesses for the duration of the case.

The prosecution was directed to supply the defence with all evidence, witness statements and exhibits.

The case will be mentioned on August 19, 2026, before Magistrate Ndombi for a pre-trial conference.