When we arrived in the university, a few decades ago, one of our favourite books was something that went by the name University Calendar. This gave lots of information, including the course outlines, and staff lists for various departments.
For the lecturers, details such as the title, name, universities attended at each level (undergraduate, Masters, Doctorate, PHD, and the like) were given.
All these served as an impetus for many undergraduates.
For one, the university where someone earned their degrees was a source of great admiration for the lecturer. Harvard, Oxbridge, Oxon, Exeter, Washington… all these earned lots of bonga points. One of my lecturers went to Padua; a college then unknown to us. We viewed poor him with some amount of disdain, especially since he was not really good at his thing.
Well, we did admire the titles. We had just left the high school literature classes, and were conversant with the title Ogbuefi in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Those minus titles were called Efulefu; the likes of Unoka.
Titles. Titled men. That near-crazy entity that makes even sober men act drunk.
I was in some funeral, and a quite respectable man, asked to greet the gathering, started off with “I am Professor Doctor Gwang Gwong, (not his real name), PhD.”
He then proceeded to give a five minute CV. He specialized in palaeontology or something. He had also conducted research on something I don’t recall, and been awarded a professorship after a dissertation.
Since he was known to be arrogant, and had contributed very little for the funeral, some troublesome villagers had the good sense to shut him down. He arrogantly walked back to his seat.
Who can blame some pre-schooled people for going out of their way to be titled men? Who?
Now this present hullabaloo. A college supposedly operating in the country is offering PhDs by the sackful. Very openly, mind. At venues known. To people known; some of them preachers of repute. Some of them lawmakers of repute. Some of them greatly moneyed fellows. All of them quite respectable public figures.
After the function, they have gained that new aspect of appellation: Dr. Nyokho Nywang, PhD.
They have started coughing at the same wavelength with the likes of Prof Lumumba, Prof Amolo, Prof Okoth-Ogendo…name them. After all, how many people will have the audacity, or even will, to ask questions about authenticity? In this country? Don’t we know many tough talking people who are said to have graduated at the University of River Road, and are occupying public positions, earning fat-cat salaries, and playing motivational speakers? They are very lucky, however, that DCI and DPP don’t know them. Wangekiona!
Back to our latest doctors and professors: in leadership, engineering, preaching, social work, and others.
It is dead pathetic for anybody, from Jogoo House B, Commission for University Education, DCI, wherever, to come up with statements about the degrees issued that day, and call them illegal. It is folly to warn the recipients to stop using the titles; or even to keep the certificates. Not even folly; it is nonsensical.
These degrees were conferred in public. The recipients are known. The supposed institution giving the degrees are known. Yet some public entity can come out whimpering impotently about their invalidity. Has nonsense been like this?
One naked fact stands out: this is a case of grand fraud. The PhD vendors purported to be faculty members of an institution of higher learning, and could issue the said certificates to deserving people in Kenya. By so-doing, they broke our laws, which are very explicit about the procedure for doing this.
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They had no certificate from CUE to operate as such an entity in this country. So, where did they get the go-ahead to even enter into the country and conduct this fraud? That is, assuming they were outsiders.
If they are insiders, who are they? Where do they stay? Do they have physical offices? Can we assume they are a bunch of criminals bent on defrauding Kenyans of their money on the pretense that they can give them degrees? And if that is their situation, why haven’t they been arrested and charged for this crime? That is the question that begs and answer.
Look: the whole process, from sourcing for students to financing, was criminal. The place where this graduation took place was a crime scene. Those who participated, in any capacity were accessories. Since they are known, let them be arrested, and charged in court. This whimpering and buck-passing is useless. Let heads roll.
I have a prophecy, however: the whimpering will go on for some time, and fizzle out. Things will go back to normal, as so often happens in this country, where someone can even escape with murder due to forgetfulness. In fact, I can offer a piece of advice to accelerate the process, and smoothen its sharp corners: let gentlemanly sums of money change hands. Every complainant will haply have a price tag displayed prominently on their coat lapels. Whoever takes this advice should pay me consultancy fees, however. I also have a mouth to eat with, see? Let me rest my case.
By Charles O. Okoth
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