• One of the petitioners, Dennis Wahome, alleges that Sakaja's degree which he reportedly acquired from Uganda's Team University was forged.
• In an interview with Churchill Show in June last year, the Nairobi senator said he studied Actuarial Science at the UoN.
Image: FILE
Nairobi Gubernatorial candidate Johnson Sakaja will on Wednesday know his fate as IEBC tribunal is set to give a ruling on the fake degree saga.
The Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Dispute Resolution Committee chaired by Wafula Chebukati commenced hearings on the matter at the Milimani Law courts on Tuesday.
Sakaja is among six Gubernatorial aspirants that are fighting allegations that their academic credentials are not genuine.
The Elections Act requires a person seeking to be elected governor to be a holder of a degree from a university recognised in Kenya.
The other candidates include Wavinya Ndeti (Machakos), Senator Cleophas Malala (Kakamega), Taita Taveta incumbent Governor Granton Samboja, Senator Mithika Linturi (Meru) and Dagoretti North MP Simba Arati.
There are four petitions which have been filed against Sakaja seeking to have his clearance revoked on various grounds, including; lack of educational qualifications.
Earlier, the tribunal had also issued an order consolidating all the four petitions and directed the returning officer and the complainants to file their responses.
The complainants in four consolidated petitions want the Committee to revoke Sakaja's clearance certificate to contest in the August polls.
One of the petitioners, Dennis Wahome, alleges that Sakaja's degree which he reportedly acquired from Uganda's Team University was forged.
In an affidavit, Wahome claims the certificate was printed on Sunday, May 29.
In response, Sakaja asked the IEBC tribunal to dismiss the complaint filed against him over his academic certificates.
The senator insists that he holds a Bachelor of Science in Management degree conferred to him by Team University in Uganda.
He added that Team University is based in Kampala, Uganda and is duly recognised in the country.
Sakaja has numerous times stated that he is a graduate of the University of Nairobi.
In an interview with Churchill Show in June last year, the Nairobi senator said he studied Actuarial Science at the UoN.
A letter from the University of Nairobi Deputy Vice-Chancellor Julius Ogeng'o to the Director of Criminal Investigations dated May 31, 2021, confirms otherwise.
The letter confirms that indeed Sakaja was and is still a student of UoN.
The controversy surrounding his academic credentials took another twist on Tuesday after UoN listed him among its alumni.
Sakaja was listed on the alumni page as having graduated with a degree in Actuarial Science, right above the late former vice president Prof George Saitoti.
"He joined the University of Nairobi, where he graduated with a degree in Actuarial Science. At UON, Sakaja set up a financial consultancy firm, Arthur Johnson Consultants, during his fourth year on campus," reads the description on Sakaja.
However, a few hours later the University of Nairobi deleted Sakaja's name from the list of its alumni.