FACT CHECK: JKUAT Addresses Didmus Barasa’s Engineering Degree Claim

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) has said Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa was not a student at the university and that it did not award him a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

In a letter dated September 14, JKUAT Registrar of Academic Affairs Aggrey Wanyama told the Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) that Barasa’s name does not appear in the university’s alumni records.

The university also said it did not hold a graduation ceremony in May 2008, the period associated with the degree in question, hence describing the purported Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering certificate as “NOT GENUINE.”

“We have established that Hon. Didmus Wekesa Barasa was not a student in JKUAT. His name does not appear in our alumni records, and JKUAT did not have a graduation in May 2008. His certificate for the Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering programme is therefore NOT GENUINE,” the letter stated.

JKUAT Says EACC and EBK Previously Investigated Matter

JKUAT further stated that the matter had previously been investigated by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK).

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The university said the same information contained in its latest response had already been communicated to the two institutions.

“This matter has previously been investigated by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK), and the same information was communicated to both organizations,” JKUAT said.

This development comes months after COFEK Secretary General Stephen Mutoro raised questions over Barasa’s academic qualifications and called for investigations into his education history.

The controversy surrounding Barasa’s academic qualifications emerged weeks after the lawmaker completed a doctorate at Murang’a University, a development that attracted mixed public reactions.

Mutoro said JKUAT’s response raised further questions about Barasa’s academic background, particularly regarding the undergraduate qualification attributed to him.

He argued that the MP’s undergraduate education could not be verified based on JKUAT’s records and called on the Commission for University Education (CUE) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to investigate his academic journey.

Mutoro Demands Accountability From Regulators

Additionally, Mutoro questioned how Barasa could have progressed to pursue higher academic qualifications if his undergraduate degree could not be verified.

“How does someone with no known education graduate with a PhD from a public university? The DCI should probe this asap,” Mutoro said.

Also Read: JKUAT Issues Fresh Directives to First-Year Students Seeking Course Transfers

The COFEK official also challenged EACC, EBK and CUE to explain what action they took after receiving information from JKUAT concerning the disputed qualification.

According to Mutoro, EACC and EBK should account publicly for how they handled the university’s earlier findings.

“EACC and EBK owe Kenyans a public accounting of what they did with JKUAT’s finding, and when the Council for University Education approves it,” Mutoro said.

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Photo showing Didmus Barasa graduating with his PhD from Murang’a university . Photo/ Didmus Barasa/ IG