Sakaja on degree drama: Uhuru is out to frustrate me

Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja now says that President Uhuru Kenyatta is using his influence in Kenya and Uganda to frustrate his August gubernatorial bid.

Sakaja who is seeking the Nairobi gubernatorial seat in the upcoming General Election has been under public scrutiny after a complaint was filed against him at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) tribunal for allegedly not having the required education qualifications.

The Commission for University Education (CUE) on Wednesday revoked the recognition of his Bachelor of Science in Management Degree from Team University.

The commission said it will open a probe into the validity of the papers Sakaja presented before the IEBC for clearance to run.

Sakaja, in a statement through his social media platforms, dismissed the revocation as null and void.

He termed the move by CUE as politically motivated, putting the blame on President Uhuru Kenyatta whom he said had coerced the commission to revoke his degree.

“The purported revocation of my credentials by the Commission for University Education (CUE) chairman is null and void, and politically instigated.

“The chairman, Prof Chacha Nyaigotti Chacha, has been coerced and intimidated by President Uhuru Kenyatta to illegally revoke recognition of accreditation that has been properly issued,” said Sakaja.

The senator vowed that  his degree is credible and claimed that CUE had already authenticated his documents as he was benign cleared to run for office.

“I presented my qualifications to the CUE for recognition. The commission conducted due diligence by first writing to their counterpart in Uganda, National Council for Higher Education, which in turn wrote to the university. The commission confirmed the authenticity of the qualification from Team University through the National Council for Higher Education and thus recognised my qualifications.”

Sakaja further maintained that he is very much in the race for City Hall’s top seat, writing; “I will be on the ballot on 9th August 2022.”

On June 7, the IEBC gave him a nod to contest for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat despite widespread reports that he does not have a university degree; which is a requirement for gubernatorial candidates.

Days after his clearance by IEBC, other reports indicated that the Nairobi Senator presented a degree certificate from a Ugandan university for clearance by IEBC.

What followed was a letter purported to be from the IEBC, directed to Team University Dean of Students Ellen Katusabe.

The commission termed fake the letter that questioned the legality of Sakaja’s degree.

On Tuesday, Sakaja said his woes were engineered by his rivals allegedly trying to taint his image in a bid to sabotage his candidacy.