Two people were on Tuesday charged with forging birth certificates and defrauding unsuspecting parents in need of the crucial document.
Joyce Kanana Mwiliungia aka Risper Nkatha and Godfrey Mutuma M’Nairobi pleaded not guilty to several counts including forgery, impersonation and conspiring to commit a felony before Meru senior resident magistrate Evans Mbicha.
The court heard the two on diverse dates between June 23, 2016, and July 15 at an unknown place unlawfully made birth certificates numbers 9052742, 1429740, 9052761 and 905295 purporting them to be genuine and issued by the district or assistant registrar of Meru Central.
Mutuma, 36, a farmer born in Tigania West, and co-accused Kanana, were jointly charged with conspiring to commit a felony and forged the documents with the intent to defraud.
Kanana, also 36 and a teacher who hails from Igembe North, was also charged that last November at Maua township in Igembe South, she falsely presented herself to be a person employed the office of births and deaths in Meru and issued two fake birth certificates to Elizabeth Kendi Maruru.
The complainant told investigators the two conned her of Sh6,000 to produce the documents for her three children aged 13, seven and three years.
She said Kanana charged Sh2,000 for each birth certificate.
Maruru had also sought the certificates for her sister’s children.
The complainant only knew they were fake when she lost one copy and went to Huduma Centre for a replacement.
Officers at the Huduma Centre declined her request and told her to visit the Meru town district registrar’s offices.
Many residents have been forced to camp at the birth certificate registry to get the document while others have accused the officers of demanding money from applicants.
Edited by R.Wamochie
