Kenyatta University Lecturer Loses PhD Degree, Job over Plagiarism

A Kenyatta University (KU) lecturer has had his doctorate degree revoked after it was established that he acquired it fraudulently.

KU canceled the PhD awarded to the don in 2018 after it was proven that he plagiarized thesis of a senior lecturer at Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Nigeria.

In a statement, KU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Paul Wainaina said the institution also suspended the lecturer who teaches in the social sciences department.

KU commenced investigations after receiving a complaint in March 2019 from a senior Nigerian lecturer who accused the Kenyan lecturer of copying his work.

“The KU lecturer had been awarded a Ph.D. on August 4, 2018, for a thesis he had submitted. Upon receipt of the complaint, the VC set up a committee to review the validity of the claims,” said Prof. Wainaina.

Upon investigations, the committee found sufficient evidence showing the lecturer had indeed plagiarized the work of the Nigerian professor.

“The investigations established that the lecturer and a staffer in his department had colluded to circumvent the internal KU mechanism where all theses are subjected to anti-plagiarism software check when the same is turned in.  Even though the thesis had failed the plagiarism check, the staffer had given the thesis the green light,” Prof Wainaina added.

“The certificate has been returned and is in the custody of the University. The lecturer appeared before a student disciplinary committee on the same matter on Thursday, September 19th, 2019 and was discontinued.”