Garissa University denies link to man charged with fake degree

Garissa University has distanced itself from a man arrested and charged over a fake degree certificate.

Abdihakim Dagane Hassan was arraigned at the Garissa chief magistrate's court charged with seven counts among them forgery.

Hassan was arrested by officials from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission after it was established that he had forged a  Bachelor of Business Information Technology degree certificate from Mount Kenya University purporting it to be a genuine degree certificate awarded to him on December 9, 2016.

He purported to have been awarded a Second Class Honours Upper Division.

But on Thursday, in a quick turn of events the university  issued a press statement describing the accused person as their former  staff who resigned in January 2023.

Vice chancellor Prof Ahmed Warfa stated that the has no association with Dagane since his resignation earlier this year.

“We would like to clarify that Mr. Abdihakim Dagane was not recruited using the alleged fake degree certificate under investigation. The university has robust recruitment processes in place that involve thorough verification of academic qualifications and professional experience,” the VC said.

“We take these allegations very seriously and are committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and ethics in all our operations. The university will continue to cooperate fully with EACC and any other relevant authorities in this matter.

“As an institution of higher learning, we take academic integrity seriously, and we have put in place measures to ensure that our graduates are well-equipped and qualified to serve in their respective fields of expertise. We will continue to collaborate with relevant authorities to ensure that we uphold the highest standards of education,” Warfa said.

The university further stated that the verification exercise has been extended to continuing students and those set to graduate in June.

“The exercise is aimed at ensuring that the academic qualifications of our staff and students are genuine and in line with the requirements of the Commission for University Education (CUE) and other regulatory bodies,” he said.

"Garissa University is committed to providing quality education and has zero tolerance for any illegality when it comes to fake certificates. We appreciate the media for highlighting this matter, which is affecting many public and private institutions. We urge other institutions to follow suit and support the bid to rid public and private institutions of individuals who are not authentic."