- She sat for her KCSE in 2011 after dropping from Form Two.
- She graduated with a degree from Jkuat in 2022.
Image: EZEKIEL AMING'A
Aisha Jumwa’s academic papers came under sharp scrutiny as MPs entered the second day of vetting President William Ruto’s Cabinet nominees.
The former Malindi MP was put to task over glaring inconsistencies in her academic papers after it emerged that she obtained a Masters Degree before earning her Bachelors qualification.
The ex-lawmaker was also put to task on how she enrolled for a Degree from the D- (Minus) she scored in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education.
Ruto nominated Jumwa to the Public Service, Gender and Affirmative Action docket as a Cabinet Secretary.
Minority leader Opiyo Wandayi questioned how the nominee received a Masters Degree before the Bachelors.
Jumwa had informed the Committee on Appointments chaired by Speaker Moses Wetang'ula that she sat for her KCSE as a private candidate in 2011 and then proceed to Jkuat where she graduated with a governance degree in 2022.
The nominee further told the Wetang'ula team she obtained an Executive Masters in Leadership and Governance from the same university in 2015.
Jumwa at some point was overcome with emotions as she narrated how her poor parents could not pay her fees, forcing her to drop out of school in Form two and later got married off at an early age.
“My parents were poor; they used to struggle to provide for me,” Jumwa fought tears as she narrated.
The Ugunja MP, however, demanded an explanation from the university on the inconsistencies in the two certificates.
“This must be clarified even by the university itself,” Wandayi said.
Pokot South MP David Pkosing also demanded answers on how Jumwa, who scored a D- minus at KCSE, was able to pursue a degree course.
Students enrolling for a degree course are required to score at least a C+ (Plus) at KCSE to be able to qualify.
“I want the nominee to clarify what she got in Form Four. The paper before us is that she got a D- and I am comparing that to a degree. What is the process of getting a degree?” Pkosing asked.
Jumwa, however, insisted her academic journey should be an encouragement to young people that getting low grades does not mean an end to one’s ambition.
"It wasn't easy for me to score those marks you are saying because I had to take myself to class after dropping in Form Two. I struggled as a private candidate but I took it as a challenge that I had to be better to serve society better," Jumwa said.
"So I am not even shy because it is in the public domain but I think that should not be used to judge Aisha Jumwa on sitting in the Cabinet. I think the person who nominated me to this position did his due diligence and saw that I am fit, if approved by Parliament."
Some Kenya Kwanza brigade in the Committee defended Jumwa, protesting the line of questioning which they said was meant to intimidate her.
Teso South MP Mary Emase claimed questions about Jumwa’s academic background were part of Azimio’s plan to harass the nominee.
“We want to be consistent, is it because she is a woman that she is being harassed?” Emase asked.
Deputy Speaker Gladys Shollei, in defending Jumwa, told the Committee there are countless Kenyans who scored low grades and managed to enroll in a degree course.
“I know people who have joined university having got very low grades. A case in point is Kennedy Odede who sits on the Board of United Nations,” Shollei said.
Wetang'ula also weighed in on the matter saying degree was not the basis for Jumwa’s nomination to head the critical Public Service docket.
“No law requires Cabinet secretaries to be holders of degree,” Wetang'ula said.
The nominee further told the committee she is worth Sh100 million, including a house in Malindi and Nairobi totaling to Sh85 million and the rest she explained are from unexplained "side hustles".
“I am a hustler. I have 2 cars and the rest were salaries that I stopped earning in September,” she said.
On the court cases she is facing, Jumwa said most of them were politically instigated insisting she is innocent in the murder case.
“I don't own a gun and never applied for a gun. My cases were politically instigated, the DPP dropped the case on misappropriation of funds. In the murder trial, I empathise with the family, it is unfortunate. I am clear in my mind I never shot anyone,” she said.
The Committee also vetted Davis Chirchir (Energy and Petroleum) and Moses Kuria (Trade, Investment and Industry).
(Edited by Tabnacha O)