Graduation celebrations at Victory International Church in Changamwe, Mombasa County, were abruptly halted on Saturday after detectives shut down what authorities described as an illegal awarding of academic degrees.
Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), working alongside the Commission for University Education (CUE), moved in following intelligence reports that an unaccredited institution was in the process of conferring academic qualifications.
The ceremony was stopped mid-event, leaving graduands, families and church officials in confusion.
According to the DCI, several suspects were arrested at the scene, including the institution’s president, Daniel Dela, and board members John Kibet, Philomena Milano and Ann Ogola Owiti. Two other individuals, Jason Oduor and Michael Ochieng, were also taken into custody.
Investigators said the organisers were linked to Menorah Training Institute and Dominion Mission Theological University Global, an institution reportedly based in Ghana. However, those involved failed to produce mandatory accreditation documents from the CUE, which is required for any institution offering degree programmes in Kenya.
Preliminary findings established that Menorah Training Institute is registered with the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA) and is only authorised to offer courses up to diploma level. Despite this limitation, detectives discovered that the graduation list included five individuals slated to receive master’s degrees and 17 others set to be awarded degree certificates.
Authorities said the institution was neither licensed nor authorised to confer such qualifications, raising concerns about the growing problem of fake or irregular academic credentials.
All suspects remain in police custody and are expected to be arraigned in court as investigations continue. Officials indicated that further inquiries will seek to establish how long the alleged scheme has been running and whether more individuals or institutions are involved.
In a statement, authorities urged Kenyans to exercise caution and verify the accreditation status of institutions before enrolling. “Shortcuts in education often lead to dead ends,” the DCI warned, stressing that unrecognised qualifications can have serious legal and professional consequences.
