The Effectiveness Of Forensic Science In Fraud Prevention And Detection In Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

ABSTRACT Fraudulent practices in banking sector in Nakuru County have led to increased losses and collapse of companies, firms and businesses, hence the need to use forensic accounting services to detect and prevent such fraudulent activities. The banking industry is a very important institution with many internal controls in order to overcome the fraudulent practices. The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of forensic science on fraud detection and prevention among banks in Nakuru County, the most prevalent type of fraud and to establish the major areas of application of forensic accounting services. The data collection instrument preferred for the study was a questionnaire. This study targeted a population of 70 respondents. The population under study was the commercial banks in Kenya and Police officers. The reason being, banks records a good number of fraud and also most of the banks have forensic accountants who conduct auditing and prevent fraud in banks. The police officers receive fraudsters, conduct investigations, handle forensic evidence and prevent fraud; hence, they were included in this study. Findings from the study saw that fraud detection and prevention increased when forensic science services were employed. The study used descriptive research survey design and uses a sample of 47 respondents in 6 entities in Nakuru County. The data was analyzed using Microsoft excel. The study findings indicated that the application of forensic science services by banks led to increased fraud prevention in the bank and the highest application was on enhancing quality of financial reporting. The most prevalent type of fraud in the banking sector was fraudulent expense claims. This study recommends that it is important to revise the company’s organization structure for better alignment with the workings of Forensic Science services. This was to allow for clear functionality of different departments without conflicting with each other. The banks should formulate clear policies to guide the practice of accounting in the banking sector. It was necessary that the internal controls and management be educated and informed of the most common type of fraud and the department responsible so that unreasonable loss of money and fraudulent practices could be addressed.