German Charity Organisation Fires Kenyan Manager Over Fake Certificates

Juliana Oyieko
Juliana Oyieko during her last visit to Altenburg

A German Organisation, “Education4Kenya” has found themselves in a fix after  Juliana Oyieko, the headmistress they had employed to run their school “Elimu ya Kenya School” in Mombasa was found to hold fake certificates.

Education4Kenya e.V. in Altenburg began this year in high spirits after they had increased their donations from 2015 by 20,000euros. Their celebration was soon cut short after an audit discovered that the headmistress at the school in Shanzu, Mombasa had been employed based on fake certificates.

The audit found that Ms. Oyieko’s certificates didn’t match and suspected that she might have faked her grade in her mathematics results. A suspicion Ms. Oyieko vehemently refuted. Further investigation would however later reveal an even scarier reality.

“Not only did she fail in Math, but almost all the other subjects. She either failed or wasn’t present to take part in the exams in the first place. This is serious fraud and a criminal case has been started to get to the bottom of this,” Gunter Nehrig, the Chairman of the organisation in Germany said.

Ms. Oyieko had worked for the school since the very beginning five years ago, having come to Germany to visit several times and even being enrolled for a course in Germany to hone her IT skills. “This is disappointing for her and for us,” Nehrig commented.

The Kenyan management team decided to let Ms. Oyieko go and instead follow up on the criminal charges placed against her.

Education4Kenya was formed in Altenburg in 2005 by Gabriele and Gerd Keßler to assist children in Bombo access education. The couple started by sponsoring 2 children, then they later came together with others who had the same idea and starting the verein.

They managed to find sponsors in Germany and partners in Mombasa who would look into the issue of acquiring land to build the school. The biggest part of the funding for the construction of the school was fundend by BMZ (Bundesministeriums für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung).

There are currently 230 sponsors who donate between 90-180€ per year, which is used to run the school. For a condusive learning atmosphere at school, lunch is provided for the pupils everyday. These pupils also exchange letters with their sponsors in which some have shared that they are happy and grateful to their sponsors because this school is well equiped as compared to other public schools.

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