Fake: JKUAT disowns MP Didmus Barasa's engineering degree

By  Mercy Simiyu

Correspondent

What you need to know:

• The development comes against the backdrop of earlier scrutiny of Mr Barasa’s education and employment history, including questions over the dates of his studies and work.
• The 2021 reports raised questions over the overlap between his claimed JKUAT studies, his military service and his employment at Kenya Power.

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) has told the Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) that Kimilili Member of Parliament Didmus Barasa was not a student at the university and that it did not award him a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronic engineering in May 2008.

In a letter dated September 14, 2026, JKUAT Registrar of Academic Affairs Aggrey Wanyama said Mr Barasa’s name does not appear anywhere in the university’s records.

The university also disputed the authenticity of the certificate, saying it did not hold any graduation ceremony in May 2008.

Consequently, JKUAT concluded that the Bachelor of electrical and electronic engineering certificate presented by Mr Barasa was not genuine.

“His name doesn’t appear on our alumni records, and JKUAT did not have a graduation in May 2008. His certificate for Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Programme is therefore ‘NOT GENUINE,’” Dr Wanyama said.

The university added that the matter had previously been raised with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK), saying the two institutions had been provided with information concerning the legitimacy of the alleged academic qualifications.

“This matter has previously been investigated by EACC and EBK, and the same information was communicated to both organisations,” said the registrar, stating that it had communicated its findings to both institutions for consideration and any necessary action.

The latest development revives longstanding controversy over Mr Barasa’s academic history and the qualifications he has used in official records.

An older profile of the Kimilili MP on the National Assembly website lists him as having obtained a Bachelor of science in electrical and electronic engineering from JKUAT between 2001 and 2005, and a Master of occupational, health, security and safety science from The University of Queensland, Australia between 2008 and 2009.

However, another current profile published by Parliament gives a different academic history, listing a Diploma in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Kenya Power and Lighting Training School between 2001 and 2004, followed by a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from Mount Kenya University between 2017 and 2021. It further shows that the MP studied for a Master of Arts in Public Administration and Management at the same between 2021 and 2022.

The parliamentary profile also lists Mr Barasa as an EBK graduate engineer, under registration number B11528.

The conflicting records have now taken on greater significance following JKUAT’s statement that it has no record of Mr Barasa as a student or alumnus and did not hold the graduation ceremony indicated on the disputed certificate.

The issue resurfaced publicly this year after Cofek filed a petition in court seeking verification of the academic qualifications of Mr Barasa after he announced that he would graduate with a doctorate degree.

Mr Barasa graduated with a PhD in Public Administration from Murang’a University of Technology in August 2026, amid questions from Cofek over the verification of his previous academic qualifications.

Cofek had moved to court in July, challenging aspects of his admission to the doctoral programme and the role of the university and the Commission for University Education (CUE) in verifying his academic credentials.

The latest JKUAT findings could therefore raise fresh questions over how the disputed undergraduate qualification was used in subsequent academic and professional records.

They also raise questions over the role of regulatory institutions, given JKUAT’s assertion that the matter had previously been communicated to both EACC and EBK.

“If EBK had this on record, how does an MP sitting in Parliament on the strength of a fabricated engineering degree still carry professional recognition? Either EBK acted on it and the public deserves to know, or it sat on a confirmed forgery. EACC and EBK owe Kenyans a public accounting of what they did with JKUAT's finding, and when,” said Stephen Mutoro, the secretary-general of COFEK.

Mr Barasa has previously rejected questions over his academic credentials. In June, as he responded to criticism surrounding his education, he said he had heard claims that he had not gone to school and had stolen someone’s certificate. The MP has yet to publicly respond to the latest JKUAT letter.

The development also comes against the backdrop of earlier scrutiny of Mr Barasa’s education and employment history, including questions over the dates of his studies and work.

The 2021 reports raised questions over the overlap between his claimed JKUAT studies, his military service and his employment at Kenya Power.

Separately, CUE investigated controversy surrounding honorary doctorates awarded to Mr Barasa and other politicians by Northwestern Christian University, an institution the regulator said was not accredited to operate or award degrees in Kenya.

Mr Barasa did not respond to our questions sent to his number. He also did not pick up our calls.

Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.