Confront the epidemic of fake academic credentials

There’s a deadly epidemic in Kenya. Except it’s not physiological, viral, or bacterial. No — it’s mental, psychological, and deeply embedded in the brain. It’s deadly because it’s killing the moral and academic credibility of earned scholarly titles. It’s a direct attack on the veracity of the university, the highest institution of learning in modern society. We all know Kenya has rightly acquired the odious distinction of a thieving society. But now, our beloved country is quickly turning into a hotbed of academic fraud, and cheating. Kenyans — the mighty and hoi polloi — have taken to claiming academic distinctions they never earned, or toiled for. And they are doing so in broad daylight on live television — without shame or fear.

I am prompted to raise the alarm because of recent disturbing claims of academic distinction by two prominent Kenyans. Cheating in the academy in Kenya isn’t limited to national examinations in schools. No — it’s perpetuated by some of the highest-profile public intellectuals, although I use that term advisedly. In a fortnight, political analysts Mutahi Ngunyi and Peter Kagwanja have claimed academic credentials that apparently they don’t have. Dr Kagwanja has a habit of signing off his Sunday Nation column as “Professor Kagwanja”. Mr Ngunyi, a notorious Kenyan, has claimed to hold a PhD in Political Science and to be Professor of Political Economy. Academic fraud is a serious crime. That’s why serious academics don’t claim titles they don’t have.