Why churches want Sakaja's degree revoked

Piece by: BRIAN ORUTA
Politics
in a file photo
Johnson Sakaja in a file photo
Image: The-Star

The Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja's degree should be withdrawn, according to the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) in Nairobi.

The organization wants Team University to invalidate the senator's Bachelor of Science in Management degree, according to the Ugandan publication the Monitor.

In a letter dated June 14, AACC requested the institution to send Sakaja's entrance letter, information regarding the payment of tuition, and the method of instruction used to prepare her for the questioned degree.

A certified copy of the list of people who graduated on October 21, 2016, along with Sakaja, was another demand made of the university. Between 2013 and 2017, Sakaja was a candidate for the Kenyan Parliament. As a result, it is not realistic to assume that he actually took classes at Team University.

"As the university has no campus in Kenya and from the available records in the Kenyan parliament, there is no evidence of Sakaja’s absenteeism from parliament to enable him to have physically attended the school,” the letter reads.

“As for online classes, your university was not licensed to offer online classes and indeed did not offer any such classes during the period between 2012 and 2016 when Mr Sakaja claims to have attended the school.”

AACC demanded evidence that Sakaja attended all classes or a minimum threshold of classes required to graduate, adding that he only travelled to Uganda once, on October 17, 2014, on parliamentary duty.

In the letter, the organisation said Team University had not been licensed to offer online classes during the period Sakaja claims to have acquired his degree.

They also demanded an explanation on why the Nairobi gubernatorial candidate's degree is categorised as “Bachelor of Science in Management (External)” and not “Bachelor of Science in Management” as was captured in the graduation booklet.

It also demanded to know why Sakaja’s name neither appears on the graduation list nor the addendum of the graduation booklet.

Sakaja's degree has been a subject of discussion after several petitions were filed claiming that he had not completed his degree studies at the University of Nairobi, where he claimed to have studied Actuarial Science in earlier interviews.

Sakaja, however, presented Uganda's Team University degree for clearance by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to vie for governor.

This only raised more questions than answers.

The Commission for University Education is currently investigating his credentials, despite all the petitions being thrown out by the IEBC Disputes Tribunal.

WATCH: For the latest videos on entertainment stories

Check out the latest news here and you are welcome to join our super exclusive Mpasho Telegram group for all the latest and breaking news in entertainment. We would also like to hear from you, WhatsApp us on +254 736 944935.