Kampala University defends Hassan Ali Joho's degree

By CYRUS OMBATI

Mombasa, Kenya: The mystery of Mombasa Governor Hassan Ali Joho’s degree from Kampala University continues to deepen after the institution came to his defense Sunday saying its bonafide, legal and authentic.

The Vice Chancellor of Kampala University, Prof Badru Kateregga said the degree was genuinely awarded and the senate cannot and will not recall, revoke or cancel an award that it deems to be valid, lawful, authentic and genuinely awarded.

“Any statements suggesting that any other body has revoked or is about to recall or cancel Joho’s degree is idle, irresponsible, redundant, of no consequence and should be ignored,” said Prof Kateregga.

Speaking in Nairobi at a press conference, Kateregga said nobody and no authority in Uganda is vested or clothed with the legal mandate to recall, cancel or revoke Joho’s degree apart from the institution’s senate.

Prof Kateregga who is also the chairman of the institution’s senate said the saga surrounding the degree is political in Kenya and should be treated so.

“The senate may deprive any person of a degree, diploma, certificate or other award of a university, if after due inquiry it is found that the award was obtained through fraud or dishonorable or scandalous conduct,” said Kateregga citing their laws.

He also took issues with a section of Kenyan media that he said is being amateurish and lacking objectivity in reporting the matter.

He was reacting to the reports that the Uganda National Council of Higher Education (NCHE) had said the degree certificate obtained by Joho is a fraud.

The council chaired by Prof Nyeko Pen-Mogi adopted the recommendations of a sub-committee, which had been asked to investigate how the governor obtained a Bachelor’s degree from the private university.

“There was no clear evidence that the academic due process was followed from admission to graduation regarding a Bachelor of Business Administration degree (Human Resource Management option) awarded to Mr Hassan Ali Joho by Kampala University,” the council said in a resolution.

But Kateregga said the resolution is illegal and is already facing legal challenge by the university in a court of law, which has already issued an order stopping dissemination and implementation.

“We wish to be on record that the National Council for Higher Education for clearly sinister motives, rushed to pass a resolution premising itself on nothing but an illegal and impugned CIID report, that was released in defiance and contempt of a court order,” said Kateregga.

He added the university has taken necessary legal measures to protect their rights and quash the excesses and abuse of the law and they shall not be deterred or derailed.

NCHE said that Joho may not have been in Uganda to physically undertake studies, raising doubts about how the university awarded him the degree.

It was acting on the recommendations of a committee chaired by Mr S.H. Nsubuga, which had that Joho “fraudulently obtained the said qualifications from Kampala University” and that he “neither qualified for admission to the degree programme nor was he subjected to the due process.”

But Kateregga said Joho attended classes for three years adding they have evidence to confirm that.

The committee also found that Mr Joho paid his entire fee for the programme in lump sum.