Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) has disowned a Bachelor’s degree certificate presented by Kimilili MP Didmus Wekesa Barasa, saying he was never a student at the university and that no graduation ceremony took place there in May 2008, the date shown on the certificate.
The university’s position was set out in a letter dated September 14, 2026, addressed to the Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) and signed by JKUAT Registrar of Academic Affairs Dr Aggrey Wanyama. The letter was issued in response to a request from COFEK to verify Barasa’s academic credentials.
“His name doesn’t appear on our alumni records, and JKUAT did not have a graduation in May 2008. His certificate for the Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Programme is therefore ‘NOT GENUINE,'” Wanyama stated.
JKUAT said the matter had previously been investigated by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK), adding that the same information had been communicated to both organisations.
Barasa’s current official profile on the Parliament website does not list the disputed JKUAT engineering degree. It instead lists a Diploma in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Kenya Power & Lighting Training School, now known as the Institute of Energy Studies, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration, a Master of Arts in Public Administration and Management, and a Graduate Diploma in Project Management from Mount Kenya University.
The JKUAT finding comes amid a wider controversy over Barasa’s academic record. In June, he announced that he had completed a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration at Murang’a University of Technology and subsequently graduated with the PhD. At the time, Barasa said he had two undergraduate degrees, two master’s degrees and had completed his doctorate.
COFEK has challenged the legitimacy of the doctorate and has petitioned the Milimani High Court, naming Murang’a University of Technology and Barasa as respondents. Justice Gregory Mutai directed that the petition be served on all parties, with the matter scheduled to return to court on October 9 for further directions. Both Barasa and Murang’a University have maintained that he met all requirements for the doctoral award.
The academic dispute has also featured in a separate defamation case brought by Barasa against former Bungoma Member of County Assembly Majimbo Okumu over allegations that he forged his university degree. A Bungoma court temporarily barred Okumu from repeating the claims.
Senior Resident Magistrate Tobias Omono said Barasa had established a prima facie case and could suffer irreparable reputational harm if the claims continued circulating. However, the magistrate also noted that there was no conclusive evidence before the court at that stage establishing that Barasa had forged a JKUAT certificate. The defamation case remains pending.
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