United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Nairobi gubernatorial candidate Johnson Sakaja has suffered a major setback in his bid to become the fourth governor of the city after the Commission for University Education (CUE) officially revoked the recognition of his degree from Team University, Uganda.
In a letter to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman, Wafula Chebukati, CUE Chief Executive Officer, Mwenda Ntarangwi, stated that the Commission no longer recognises the Senator’s degree.
“Based on these findings and in compliance with the ongoing provisions of of sections of The Universities Act, 2012, Part XI of The Universities Regulations 2014, The Universities Standards and Guidelines, 2014, and the Standards for recognition and Equation of qualifications and granted the disclaimer in the certificate of recognition issued, the Commission has come to the m inescapable decision to that the purported degree certificate of Bachelor of Science in Management (External) is ineligible for recognition,” the letter states.
The Commission noted that it received written information from the public that implied that the Nairobi gubernatorial hopeful was never admitted to the Kampala-based University.
In his statement, Ntarangwi pointed out that when Sakaja declared his participation in the 2017 Senate race, he omitted to indicate that he attended Team University in Uganda.
“That in Sakaja Johnson Arthur official declaration in 2017, while vying for the position of Senator, he indicated that the only higher education qualification he held was a degree from the University of Nairobi. There was no declaration made pertaining to Team University, from which he now states that he had obtained a degree in 2016.”
“The University of Nairobi has since written to the Commission, confirming that whereas he enrolled for a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science in 2003, he did not complete his studies,” stated CUE.
The Commission added that it has the right to revoke the recognition of a degree certificate and that it is not responsible for the legitimacy of the certificate or the identity of the certificate holder presented for recognition and/or equation.
“The Commission retains the right to revoke recognition of the award in the event that it establishes any reason that makes the award in question ineligible for recognition and/or equation.”
“Based on these findings and in compliance with the ongoing provisions of of sections of The Universities Act, 2012, Part XI of The Universities Regulations 2014, The Universities Standards and Guidelines, 2014, and the Standards for recognition and Equation of qualifications and granted the disclaimer in the certificate of recognition issued, the Commission has come to the m inescapable decision to that the purported degree certificate of Bachelor of Science in Management (External) is ineligible for recognition,” the letter states.
In order to demonstrate that he had received a Bachelor of Science in Management degree, CUE observed that it had not received any documentation from either the National Council for Higher Education in Uganda or Team University (External).
The commission further argued that the Nairobi senator’s failure to present the proof automatically affirmed that the degree certificate she supplied did not meet the requirements.
“At the conclusion of these investigations we have not received any evidence from NCHE, Team University or Sakaja that prove that Sakaja pursued studies at Team University and earned a degree in Bachelor of Science in Management (External).”
“Failure to submit even the most basic evidence of study and the process of earning a degree inevitably renders the degree certificate submitted insufficient to prove that Sakaja studied either physically or through distance learning and that he holds an academic degree.”
The commission stated that the decision had been communicated to Sakaja Johnson Arthur and he had the right to appeal.
