Besieged United Democratic Alliance Nairobi County gubernatorial candidate Johnson Sakaja may have told on himself in an interview with Kenya’s top artist Nyashinski, warranting the revocation of nomination approval.
Speaking about his academic background in September of 2020, Sakaja made it clear he gained all his education in Kenya.
“Mimi sijawahi toka Kenya, in terms of education. Education yangu yote ilukuwa hapa,” Sakaja told Nyashinki in an interview posted on Nyashinki’s Youtube channel. (Translation: I have never left Kenya to seek an education. I have gained all my education here (in Kenya))
“Mimi sijawahi toka Kenya, in terms of education. Education yangu yote ilukuwa hapa,” Johnson Sakaja
(Skip between minute 20 to 22 to hear the part Sakaja speaks about his educational background.)
Sakaja’s statement is curious because he presented documents to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) indicating he earned his undergraduate degree from Team University in Uganda that he earned in 2016.
Before his academic credentials faced scrutiny, Sakaja claimed he had graduated from the University of Nairobi (UoN) with a bachelor’s degree in actuarial science, a claim that was bolstered on UoN’s website naming Sakaja one of its notable alumnus.
But UoN later corrected itself. The University’s Communication director John Orindi confirmed that Sakaja, who was admitted to the University in 2003, is yet to complete his coursework to earn his BS degree in actuarial sciences and even removed his name from the list of distinguished graduates.
The UoN announcement forced Sakaja to produce another proof that he had a degree. That’s when he presented credentials from Team University, which were initially accepted by the Commission of University Education (CUE).
But things came to a head when CUE reversed its earlier decision and revoked Sakaja’s credentials, saying it needed to investigate the authenticity of his Team University management degree.
In his revocation letter dated June 14, CUE chairman Prof. Chacha Nyaigoti-Chacha informed Sakaja his organization had uncovered new unfavorable information..
“The Commission of University Education has, however, received material information about the authenticity of the degree you presented from Team University that will require further investigation to ascertain the validity of the said degree,” Nyaigoti-Chacha said.
The CUE chairman, however, did not reveal the contradictory information that led to his decision.
“Consequently, in accordance to the CUE recognition procedures, we hereby revoke the recognition of your degree-Bachelor of Science in Management (External) from the aforementioned university,” Nyaigoti-Chacha concluded in his letter.
Some Kenyans are puzzled at how Sakaja has handled the controversy and allowed it to fester.
“Verifying a degree is a very easy task. Why can’t you just take ur original transcripts and original degree to IEBC? Why can’t you post the degree here online like how Malala did? Why can’t you even post graduation photos? Kwendaa bana,” Eric Mutinda Wambua commented on Twitter.
Sakaja responded to the tweet asserting he had sent the documents to the relevant parties.
In the latest twist of the saga, the Kenyan high court has ruled in favor of Sakaja granting a stay on the case pending evaluation of the facts. In a letter Sakaja posted on his Twitter account, The Court rule the matter as urgent but order CUE and IEBC to stand down and allow the legal process to take place and promising to have a ruling by June 22.
“Let the people decide. We shall be on the ballot,” Sakaja declared after the latest court ruling. If on June 22nd the court rules against Sakaja, he’d have only one option, appealing to Kenya’s Supreme Court.
A DEFIANT SAKAJA BLAMES PRESIDENT UHURU KENYATTA FOR HIS WOES
In a June 15 tweet, a defiant Sakaja blamed President Uhuru Kenyatta for his problems and vowed he’ll be in the August 9 election.
“I will be on the Ballot on August 9, 2022. We will not be cowed by the threats, coercion, and intimidation by President Uhuru Kenyatta and the State. The purported revocation by CUE is null and void for the reasons below,” Sakaja said in a tweet and posted documents from CUE that earlier approved his candidature.
“I will be on the Ballot on August 9, 2022. We will not be cowed by the threats, coercion, and intimidation by President Uhuru Kenyatta and the State,” Johnson Sakaja.
Sakaja has not provided the public with evidence proving he attended Team University, such as graduation photos, photos with classmates, transcripts, tuition payment receipts, or the degree certification. He has not even named a professor from the University who taught him.
The drumbeat to oust Sakaja, the Kenya Kwanza candidate for the Nairobi governor position, has taken a life of its own on social media.
Pauline Njoroge, an influential social media personality who is supporting Azimio, posted on her Twitter page alleged discrepancies in Sakaja’s credentials, showing what she alleged Sakaja presented as evidence of his graduation versus the original.
On the list entitled “Sakaja’s Riveroad List,” the Nairobi senator is listed at number 499. But in what she termed the “Team University Original list,” Sakaja’s name does not appear. Instead, the name Nantogo Aida occupies the 499th spot.
If true, Njoroge may have exposed Sakaja as having participated in an elaborate forgery scheme to get his name on the Nairobi gubernatorial ballot.
While Sakaja is not the only one facing unfavorable scrutiny due to his academic papers, his position as a credible contender for Nairobi County, Kenya’s capital city governor, makes his case stand out.
Four petitioners have challenged Sakaja’s candidacy saying he forged his academic documents and argued that he couldn’t have completed his degree in Uganda while serving as Nairobi Senator at the same time.
Sakaja competitor Polycarp Igathe, who is running under the Azimio la Umoja banner, posted his graduation photo on Twitter in a not-so-subtle dig at Sakaja.
Sakaja has not produced any photos of his graduation.
Miguna Miguna, a bombastic Kenyan lawyer based in Canada, has called on UDA to replace Sakaja.
“Despot Uhuru Kenyatta wants to impose Polycarp Igathe on Nairobiians. It’s time @UDAKenya withdrew @SakajaJohnson as its candidate in Nairobi and SUBSTITUTE him with @NelsonHavi. @IEBCKenya must clear @NelsonHavi as a candidate since they had cleared @SakajaJohnson erroneously,” Miguna said in a tweet.
Miguna, who is barred from coming to Kenya due an immigration dispute between him and President Kenyatta’s administration, also attacked Sakaja calling him a failure.
“Sakaja is a failure, a fraud, and a smoking chimney and drunkard – despot Uhuru Kenyatta’s creation. Only sheep see him as anything but a failure,” Miguna said.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE DOCUMENTS PRODUCED SO FAR IN THE SAKAJA SAGA
Among other qualifications, presidential and gubernatorial candidates must have an undergraduate degree in Kenya.
The IEBC has provided the following requirements for presidential and governor elective positions in the August 9, 2022 elections.
IEBC QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT FOR PRESIDENTIAL AND GOVERNOR CANDIDATES AND THEIR RUNNING MATES
Qualifications:
- Must be a Kenyan citizen for at least 10 years before the election;
- Must not owe allegiance to a foreign state;
- Must be eligible for election as a member of the county assembly;
- Must be a registered voter;
- Is a holder of a degree from a University recognized in Kenya;
- Is nominated by a Political Party or is an independent candidate;
- Must meet the statutory moral and ethical requirements under the Leadership and Integrity Act;
- Must have been a Kenyan citizen for at least 10 years;
- Must not hold dual citizenship unless citizenship of the other country has been obtained by operation of law without the capacity to opt out;
- Must not be an undischarged bankrupt;
- Must not be subject to a sentence of imprisonment of at least six months from the date of registration of candidates or date of elections;
- Must not have been found to have abused or misused state or public office or contravened Chapter Six of the Constitution; and
- Must not have been dismissed or removed from public office for contravening the provisions of Articles 75, 76, 77, and 78 of the Constitution.
(All requirements for County Governor shall apply to the Deputy County Governor, and there shall be no separate nomination for the deputy)
SOURCE: Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Website.
Sakaja is alleged to have violated rule number 5.
Kenya’s elections are scheduled to take place on August 9August 9, 2022.