Ugandan Court Hands Sakaja Victory In Degree Saga

The university had asked Justice Jamson Karemani of the High Court in Kampala to stop

Ugandan Court Hands Sakaja Victory In Degree Saga
Nairobi senator, Johnson Sakaja. /FILE

Nairobi Senator, Johnson Sakaja has been handed a reprieve after the Uganda Judiciary suspended investigations into his degree certificate.

Team University, the institution which Sakaja claimed to have obtained his degree from, had moved to court seeking orders to stop the government of Uganda from probing the matter.

On Tuesday, June 5, the High Court issued restraining orders that stopped the government from investigating the qualification awarded to Sakaja by the institution.

An image of Team University in Uganda. /FILE

The university had asked Justice Jamson Karemani of the High Court in Kampala to stop the Ugandan National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) from investigating the degree, whose authenticity is also being questioned in Kenya.

The Inspectorate of Government (IG) and the National Council for Higher Education are two institutions probing Sakaja's degree.

NCHE on Wednesday, June 29 wrote to the Commission of University Education (CUE) saying it had halted its investigations to allow the IG to complete theirs.

“NCHE commenced investigations in order to determine the authenticity of the Bachelor of Science in Management (External) degree awarded to Sakaja Johnson Arthur by Team University. However, prior to completing our investigations, the IG also began investigations into the same matter hence suspending our action,” said NCHE executive director Prof Mary Okwakol.

The case has since been scheduled for hearing on Thursday, July 14, 2022.

Sakaja is still fighting his own battles on home soil as a case challenging his degree is still pending in a Nairobi High Court.

On Friday, July 8, Sakaja will find out through a High Court ruling whether he should be allowed to vie for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat in the upcoming August 9 elections or not.

It is a constitutional requirement that those seeking to become a governor or their deputy must hold at least a degree from a recognised university.

Side by side image of Senator Johnson Sakaja and Polycarp Igathe. /THE STAR