Graduation gowns are not for all and sundry

Graduands at the KEMU University main campus in Meru. [File, Standard]

Oloo Aringo was a master of weird platitudes. In 1988, then an assistant minister for Education, he joined a graduation ceremony at University of Nairobi presided over by President Daniel arap Moi and made two blunders. One, he referred to the president as the "prince of peace" and two, he joined academic procession and wore a doctoral regalia without having earned a doctoral degree or graduated with a masters. 

Both acts elicited public outcry and scorn. University of Nairobi Council was recalled to address the issue while UASU held a press conference and asked the minister to apologise. Those were the days university and academic protocols and procedures were strictly followed. Moi, who was the chancellor of all public universities, had to be baptised into academia through an award of an honorary doctoral degree so that he could officially become the chancellor and preside over graduation ceremonies.