President Yoweri Museveni's wife, Janet Museveni, has been roped into the controversy surrounding the degree of Nairobi Senator, Johnson Sakaja.
The Uganda First Lady, who also serves as the Minister for Education, has been requested by a lobby group to confirm whether Sakaja indeed studied in Uganda.
In the letter, the lobby group urged the Ugandan Minister for Education, to compel Team University to produce Sakaja’s admission letter, details of payment of school fees, and evidence that he attended classes.
“Our client is certain that your office will treat this matter with the importance and the urgency that it requires to safeguard the image of Uganda as a country that has traditionally offered education to many students in the East African Community," the letter read.
The NGO wants Janet Museveni to ask the University to explain why Sakaja's name was allegedly omitted from the list of graduands who were awarded a Bachelor's degree in Management on October 21, 2016.
“The degree awarded to Sakaja is not honorary but an academic degree purportedly awarded after successful completion of coursework and other instructions for the award of the same,” the advocacy group said in the letter dated June 14.
“From [the] available immigration services information in Kenya, Sakaja has only travelled to Uganda once, which was on October 17, 2014, and the visit was for parliamentary business, not for educational purposes,” Youth Advocacy Africa stated.
Sakaja claimed he graduated in October 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Management degree from the Kampala-based university.
The Senator is eyeing the Nairobi governorship in the August 9 General Election but the IEBC requires candidates seeking the seat to hold at least a Bachelor’s degree.
Sakaja's woes started after four petitions were filed claiming that he may have acquired his academic papers fraudulently. The University of Nairobi, where Sakaja is alleged to be an Actuarial Science graduate, told the DCI that he had not graduated yet.
The University told the DCI that Sakaja’s transcripts are incomplete and have not been signed. A petitioner, Dennis Gakuyo, moved to court also seeking to establish the legitimacy of Sakaja's purported degree from Team University in Uganda.
Gakuyo wants Sakaja's nomination revoked on the basis that he lacks a valid university degree.
