Hassan Joho’s fake degree case: Keriako Tobiko orders fresh investigation

Mombasa governor Ali Hassan Joho is not out of the woods yet in as far as the controversy surrounding his degree papers and academic qualification is concerned

The director of public prosecutions Keriako Tobiko has now taken up the matter and ordered a fresh probe in to the authenticity of Joho’s university degree certificate.

On Tuesday, a dossier the complainant handed over to DPP Keriako Tobiko reveals staggering inconsistencies that could incriminate Joho if proven to be true. Among other inconsistencies, the evidence presented indicates that Joho was attending two universities concurrently- the University of Nairobi and Kampala University.

Joho allegedly attended Kampala University between 2006- 2012 and Nairobi University between 2009- 2012. To complicate the matter, immigration records tabled by the complainant indicate that Joho never stayed in Uganda for more than 3 days and visited Uganda only 12 times during the period of his purported study at Kampala University.

Other damaging claims submitted indicate that Joho enrolled at the University of Nairobi but only after forging the signature of education cabinet secretary Prof. Jacob Kaimenyi who was the then deputy vice chancellor in charge of academics

Just last moth, it had appeared like some reprieve had come Joho’s way when the high court in Mombasa threw out a case challenging his academic qualifications. A three judge bench ruled the matter was criminal in nature and as such, criminal procedures should be exhausted by among other bodies, the director of public prosecutions, the criminal investigations department and the Inspector General of police. This has prompted the move by Keriako Tobiko to write to the director of CID

Silas Otuke, director of Youth Leadership for Democratic Governance and Guidance,  had gone to court to challenge the authenticity of Joho’s degree and sought to have the governor investigated and charged for a criminal offence. His efforts were crippled by the court last month on procedural matters. Joho however maintains that his degree from Kampala University is credible.

If the directorate of criminal investigations find Joho guilty, he could face charges for fraud in a  court of law. He would then be declared unfit to hold the office, having not met the minimum education standards set out in the constitution.

The DPP has already directed the director of CID Ndegwa Muhoro to open fresh investigations in to the matter after perusing through the allegations presented by Otuke