JKUAT Under Fire Over High Number of PHDs Awarded in One Graduation

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) PHD graduands 2019.PHOTO/COURTESY

The high number of graduands who were conferred with doctorate degrees at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) has raised concerns online.

At least 118 graduands were awarded PhDs during the institution’s graduation ceremony on Friday, June 21.

The Friday ceremony which was presided over by the recently appointed Chancellor, Joseph Mathu Ndung’u, brought together 3,345 graduands from different disciplines.

Kenyans are now questioning the credibility of the 118 PhDs awarded by JKUAT in one day being the highest number in the country.

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) PHD graduands 2019.PHOTO/COURTESY

With some suggesting that PHDs might have been acquired through fraud means, others questioned the university’s capability of deploying enough Professors to supervise the 118 Research proposals.

Lawyer Makau Mutua the law scholar who once wanted to become Kenya’s chief justice said in a Twitter post,

“How credible are the 118 PhDs awarded by JKUAT? Either they are fake or academic standards there are near zero. Let’s end this academic fraud.”

In support to Mutua, another Lawyer Donald Kipkorir called for the closure of the university and as well have the title of all the PHD titles and names published.

“JKUAT, as its name says, is University of Agriculture & Technology. But to graduate 118 PhDs when we don’t know from it of any innovation in both fields is a monumental scandal & should be closed. JKUAT should publish the titles of alll the PhDs theses & names of the Supervisors”, said in a Twitter post.

An audit report by the Commission for University Education (CUE) released in March 2019 indicated less than 20% of the students who enrolled for PhDs managed to graduate between the 2012 and 2016 period.

Another report by the British Council and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) showed that from 2011 to 2015, University of Nairobi produced only 117 PhDs, with unavailable data in two academic years.At the same time, Moi University churned out 196 doctorates, Kenyatta University 349, Egerton 84, JKUAT 260, Maseno 81, Pwani three, Catholic University of Eastern Africa 80 and Mount Kenya 17.

These figures were associated with the lack of enough PhD holders to teach students in universities. The question of how JKUAT managed to get over such numbers is a matter of concern with a good number of Kenyans are now calling on the Cabinet Secretary for Education Prof. George Magoha to intervene in the situation.

Here are some of the reactions;

https://twitter.com/themtkenyatimes/status/1142285953639309312

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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