JKUAT Disowns Didmus Barasa Engineering Degree, Says Certificate Is Fake

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) says it has no record of Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa studying at the institution or receiving a Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering degree.

In a letter dated September 14, 2026, JKUAT Registrar of Academic Affairs Aggrey Wanyama told the Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) that Mr Barasa’s name did not appear in the university’s student or alumni records. The university also said it did not hold a graduation ceremony in May 2008, the date indicated on the disputed certificate. Dr Wanyama said the certificate attributed to Mr Barasa was therefore not genuine.

“His name doesn’t appear on our alumni records, and JKUAT did not have a graduation in May 2008. His certificate for Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Programme is therefore ‘NOT GENUINE,’” he said.

JKUAT’s response conflicts with an older biography published on the National Assembly website, which states that Mr Barasa studied for a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the university between 2001 and 2005. The same parliamentary biography states that he pursued a Master of Occupational, Health, Security and Safety Science at the University of Queensland in Australia between 2008 and 2009.

His current parliamentary profile gives a different account of his education. It lists a Diploma in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Kenya Power and Lighting Training School between 2001 and 2004, followed by a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from Mount Kenya University between 2017 and 2021.

The current profile also lists a Master of Arts in Public Administration and Management from Mount Kenya University, which he is said to have completed between 2021 and 2022. The profile identifies Mr Barasa as an Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) graduate engineer and gives his professional registration number as B11528.

JKUAT said concerns about the authenticity of the qualification had previously been communicated to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and EBK.

“This matter has previously been investigated by EACC and EBK, and the same information was communicated to both organisations,” Dr Wanyama said.

The statement raises questions about how the qualification was subsequently reflected in professional and public records. Cofek secretary-general Stephen Mutoro has asked EBK and EACC to explain how they handled the matter.

“If EBK had this on record, how does an MP sitting in Parliament on the strength of a fabricated engineering degree still carry professional recognition? Either EBK acted on it and the public deserves to know, or it sat on a confirmed forgery. EACC and EBK owe Kenyans a public accounting of what they did with JKUAT's finding, and when,” Mr Mutoro said.

The latest development follows a legal challenge filed by Cofek in July over Mr Barasa’s academic qualifications. The organisation questioned aspects of his admission to a doctoral programme and the verification of his previous qualifications by Murang’a University of Technology and the Commission for University Education (CUE).

Mr Barasa graduated with a PhD in Public Administration from Murang’a University of Technology in August 2026. The dispute over his academic record has previously included questions about the chronology of his education, military service and employment at Kenya Power.

In June, Mr Barasa rejected allegations concerning his education, saying he was aware of claims that he had never attended school and had used another person’s certificate. He has not publicly responded to JKUAT’s latest letter. He also did not respond to questions sent to his phone or calls seeking comment.

Separately, CUE investigated controversy surrounding honorary doctorates awarded to Mr Barasa and other politicians by Northwestern Christian University. The regulator said the institution was not accredited to operate or award degrees in Kenya.