JKUAT Speaks Out on the Authenticity of the 118 PhDs it Awarded Last Week

The Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) says the 118 PhDs awarded during its recent graduation were deservedly earned.

This comes after Kenyans took to social media to question the high number of individuals who graduated with Doctorate of Philosophy during the institution's 33rd graduation last week.

"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," posed US-based Kenyan scholar Prof. Makau Mutua.

In a statement, the university management asserted that all the degrees and diplomas conferred upon 3,545 graduands on Friday were genuine.

The institution also noted that it had put in place stringent quality measures, including those set by the Commission for University Education (CUE) and other professional bodies.

 "All degrees of the university are meticulously earned and no student is allowed to graduate without going through the due process regarding coursework, seminars, original research, external examination, and publications."

"Indeed, all the 118 candidates awarded PhDs earned their degrees having taken an average of five years, some having enrolled in the year 2010," the university said. 

"This, in addition to veritable teaching and research infrastructure, has enabled the institution to be the most preferred in the country by students seeking higher education. JKUAT attracted the highest number of students on a government scholarship for the second year running, having admitted 4,886 in 2018, and 5,901 students in 2019," the university added.