DIG Masengeli sues USIU over PhD row, wants his name in graduation list

He wants the institution ordered to include his name in the final list of graduates set for late this month.

"Unless the respondent is compelled to release the petitioner's dissertation results and progress the petitioner's academic process, the petitioner faces real and imminent risk of being excluded from consideration for the forthcoming graduation through no failure or omission on his part," argues Masengeli's lawyer.

The senior police officer is pursuing a PhD in International Relations at USIU Africa, where he enrolled in September 2021.

In his petition, Masengeli says he has gone through the various stages of his doctoral programme but has been left uncertain about the status of his dissertation examination and what, if anything, remains for him to complete.

He claims that he presented his dissertation proposal for defence in December last year before making the amendments required by the university. He subsequently obtained approval from the Institutional Review Board and proceeded with his research.

"The respondent's conduct has consequently subjected the petitioner to continuity uncertainty regarding the status of his academic progression at a stage when the dissertation has already proceeded through examination and the remaining process ought at the very least to be capable of being clearly identified and communicated, read court papers.

Masengeli, through lawyer Cecil Miller, says he handed in his first dissertation draft on June 11, 2026. Further amendments were made after receiving comments from his supervisors.

By August 31, he says, reports from both the internal and external examiners had been submitted to the university.

The Deputy Inspector General claims that despite the examination reports having been received, he was not provided with the outcome or a clear explanation of the remaining steps necessary to conclude his studies.

His concerns prompted him to write to the university on August 25 seeking clarification.

USIU-Africa replied on September 3, informing him that there were mandatory requirements and pending steps that needed to be addressed. The university also indicated that his matter had been forwarded to the Associate Dean of the School of Graduate Studies.

Masengeli, however, says the response did not spell out the outstanding requirements or disclose the outcome of his dissertation examination.

He contends that the lack of clarity has placed his academic progress in limbo, particularly with the graduation ceremony only days away.

The court has been asked to safeguard his position in the September graduation cycle while the dispute is considered.

Masengeli has made it clear that he is not asking the court to assess the quality of his research or confer a doctoral degree on him.

Rather, his case centres on the manner in which the university has handled the administrative and examination stages of his programme.

The application was placed before Justice David Mburu on September 9, where the court certified the matter as urgent and allowed it to be heard during the court recess.

The judge directed that the application, petition and accompanying directions be served on USIU-Africa by close of business that day, with proof of service subsequently filed.

The university was given three days from service to respond.