EXPLOSIVE DOSSIER: THE SECRET FILE THAT COULD DESTROY CAREERS – INSIDE KERRA’S SHOCKING CERTIFICATE SCANDAL

Former DG Accused of Running Shadow Verification Scheme That Bypassed HR and Violated Staff Rights

NAIROBI – A bombshell investigation has uncovered what insiders are calling “one of the most brazen abuses of power” in Kenya’s public service: a clandestine certificate verification exercise at the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) that allegedly violated constitutional rights, circumvented official protocols, and may have been weaponized to settle personal scores.

At the center of the explosive scandal? Former Director-General Eng. Philemon Kandie, who is now accused of orchestrating a secretive verification process in 2022 using a handpicked external consultant—completely sidelining the Human Resources Department and burying the results for three years.

THE MIDNIGHT CONSULTANT: How KeRRA’s Verification Went Rogue

Multiple sources within KeRRA have revealed the stunning details of what they describe as an “unauthorized and deeply compromised” operation. In a move that has sent shockwaves through the organization, Eng. Kandie allegedly brought in an external consultant—reportedly without transparent procurement or proper vetting—and granted this individual unrestricted access to confidential staff files.

“This wasn’t just irregular. It was unprecedented,” said one senior KeRRA official who spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing retaliation. “The HR Department, which by law should have led this process, was completely frozen out. We were kept in the dark while someone we’d never vetted rifled through our colleagues’ most sensitive documents.”

The legal violations are staggering. According to the Public Service Commission (PSC) Regulations (2020), certificate verification is explicitly the responsibility of the “Authorized Officer”—typically the Head of Human Resources. The Employment Act (2007) demands protection of employee information and prohibits discrimination in employment decisions. Yet by every account, both regulations were trampled.

Article 232 of Kenya’s Constitution mandates that public service operate with “high standards of professional ethics, transparency, and accountability.” Critics charge that Kandie’s secret operation violated every single principle.

THREE YEARS OF SILENCE: The Report That Disappeared

But here’s where the plot thickens dramatically.

For three years—from 2022 until Kandie’s departure in 2025—the verification report remained locked away in the former DG’s office. It was never presented to the management board. Never reviewed by HR. Never validated by the PSC. Never seen by the very staff whose careers it could destroy.

“If this report was legitimate, why hide it like nuclear codes?” demanded one incredulous employee. “Why keep it secret for three years, only to suddenly demand its implementation the moment you’re walking out the door?”

According to multiple credible sources, Kandie handed over the report to the incoming Director-General only during the transition period—and has since been allegedly pressuring the new leadership, along with sympathizers within KeRRA and the PSC, to implement its findings immediately.

The timing has raised red flags across the organization.

VENDETTA OR VERIFICATION? Staff Cry Foul Over Alleged Targeting

The real bombshell? Staff members believe the report may have been deliberately manipulated to target specific individuals.

Colleagues describe Kandie’s management style in damning terms: vindictive, controlling, and prone to using administrative tools—transfers, evaluations, disciplinary measures—as weapons against perceived enemies.

Now, terrified employees are asking: Were files tampered with? Were fake documents planted? Were legitimate credentials removed?

“We have reason to believe certain files were doctored,” claimed one staff member, visibly shaken. “People who crossed the former DG professionally are now finding their qualifications mysteriously ‘unverifiable.’ It’s too convenient to be coincidence.”

Article 41(1) of the Constitution guarantees every worker the right to fair labour practices. Section 46(h) of the Employment Act explicitly prohibits punishment or discrimination unrelated to work performance. If the allegations prove true, this wasn’t a verification exercise—it was character assassination by administrative decree.

THE LAW IS CRYSTAL CLEAR: This Should Never Have Happened

Legal experts consulted for this investigation are unequivocal: what allegedly happened at KeRRA represents a wholesale violation of established protocols.

The PSC Human Resource Policies and Procedures Manual (2023) and the Code of Conduct and Ethics for the Public Service (2016) are explicit:

✓ HR must lead all verification exercises
✓ Staff records must remain confidential
✓ Proper authentication channels (KNEC, KRA, professional bodies) must be used

Section 27 of the Public Service (Values and Principles) Act, 2015 mandates transparency and accountability in all HR practices. A process “conducted in secrecy” or perceived to target individuals directly violates statutory obligations.

“This isn’t just bad practice—it’s potentially actionable,” warned one employment law specialist. “Staff whose careers are damaged by this report could have grounds for legal action against both the authority and individuals involved.”

STAFF REVOLT: Demand for Justice Grows Louder

Faced with what they view as an existential threat to their careers and livelihoods, KeRRA employees are fighting back.

In a powerful joint statement circulating internally, staff have issued uncompromising demands:

🔴 Immediate disposal of the 2022 “Kandie Report”
🔴 Formation of a transparent, multi-agency verification team led by HR
🔴 Independent audit of the 2022 consultant’s work to detect file tampering
🔴 Public communication of any new verification process methodology

“We’re not against accountability,” stressed one employee representative. “We welcome legitimate verification. But this report is poisoned fruit. It was born in secrecy, kept in darkness, and now being rushed to judgment. That’s not integrity—that’s intimidation.”

THE SMOKING GUN QUESTIONS

This scandal leaves behind five devastating questions that demand answers:

1. Why was HR excluded from its own constitutional mandate?

2. Why did Kandie sit on the report for three years before suddenly pushing for implementation?

3. What safeguards—if any—prevented tampering with confidential files by external parties?

4. Why are some PSC insiders reportedly pressuring validation of a report that violates PSC’s own protocols?

5. If the report was credible, why wasn’t it immediately acted upon in 2022?

Until these questions receive satisfactory answers, the entire exercise remains fundamentally compromised.

THE CROSSROADS: New Leadership Faces Defining Test

KeRRA’s new Director-General now faces a career-defining decision.

The path forward is clear: Discard the tainted 2022 report. Launch a new, transparent verification process led by HR professionals in strict accordance with PSC regulations, labour law, and constitutional provisions.

Such decisive action would send an unmistakable message: The era of governance-by-vendetta is over. Due process, fairness, and genuine integrity are the new order.

The alternative? Implementing a compromised report that could spark legal challenges, destroy innocent careers, and permanently stain KeRRA’s reputation.

CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS OR MOMENT OF REDEMPTION?

This scandal strikes at the very heart of Kenya’s reformed public service. Article 232 promised Kenyans a civil service built on merit, transparency, and accountability—not secret files, shadow consultants, and suspected score-settling.

Staff aren’t asking for special treatment. They’re demanding their constitutional rights. They’re insisting on the very principles that should govern every public institution in Kenya.

The question now is whether those in power will uphold those principles—or whether the “Kandie Report” will be allowed to detonate careers based on a process that violated every rule it claimed to enforce.

As one KeRRA employee put it with devastating simplicity: “We deserve verification, not victimization. We deserve transparency, not terror. We deserve the law, not one man’s vendetta.”

The eyes of Kenya’s public service are now on KeRRA. The Constitution is clear. The law is settled.

The only question remaining: Will justice prevail?

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Efforts to reach former DG Eng. Philemon Kandie for comment were unsuccessful at the time of publication.

 

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