Wajir Governor Mohamed Abdi Mahamud’s job is in the hands of seven judges of the Supreme Court, who a University has told his degree was irregularly obtained.
Chief Justice David Maraga, Justice Philomena Mwilu, Mohamed Ibrahim, JB Ojwang’ Smokin Wanjala, Njoki Ndung’u and Isaac Lenaola have once again granted the governor a chance to prove wrong submissions by Kampala University.
In documents filed at the Supreme Court on Friday, the university stated that Governor Mahamud has never been admitted there and that he is not on the list of 2012 graduands as he alleges.
The Governor moved to the Supreme court to appeal against a decision of the High Court in Wajir which declared his election null and void.
At the Supreme Court, Mahamud was allowed to table his academic certificates, noting that he was not given a fair hearing at both the trial and the appellate court with regard to his academic qualifications.
He has informed the judges that he was admitted to the institution in 2009 and later graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business and management studies. In a graduation list issued in court, the governor also claims that he graduated with a masters degree in 2012.
Former governor Ahmed Abdullahi has delt his successor a blow before the court after he attached letters from the university’s academic registrar saying Governor Mahamud was never their student between 2009 and 2012.
One Mr. Jacob Onyango Orinda, who told the court he worked at the institution between 2008 and 2016 as the deputy registrar in charge of admissions for Kenyan students dismissed the governor’s admission details.
Mr Onyango in his letter to the court stated that Governor Mohamud’s name was not among those of the 196 students admitted to the university in 2009 as had been claimed.
He also informed the court that it was impractical for the governor to obtain a masters degree given his alleged first degree is of a second class (lower division) grade.
Onyango stated that it is a common university practice in Kenya and Uganda that such grades cannot be admitted for a master’s programme without a two-year work experience, which the governor had not obtained.