Kenya: The Commission for University Education (CUE) will now investigate the 118 Ph.D. degrees awarded by Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) last week after public outcry.
This is after it emerged that one professor at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) had supervised more than 10 Ph.D. students in the School of Entrepreneurship, Procurement, and Management when CUE requires one professor to supervise a maximum of three Ph.D. students per academic year.
Some of the publications or refereed journals where the students published their works were also questioned. A refereed journal or scholarly journal contains academic articles reviewed by recognized academics or domain experts to ensure their quality.
Chairman of the Commission Chacha Nyaigoti Chacha said that they will verify whether standard procedures have been followed in the teaching, research and examination process to determine if the degrees awarded as per the rules. “We’re on the ground to look at these doctorates and we’re going to take the necessary action to find that the law has not been complied with,” said the chairman of the commission.
Kenyans questioned why the JKUAT produced many PhDs in business-related studies when its specialization lies in innovation and technology. JKUAT defended the degree award.
JKUAT released a statement on Sunday defending their graduates’ quality.
“All university degrees are meritoriously earned and no student is allowed to graduate without going through the due process regarding coursework, seminars, original research, external examination, and publications,” said Prof. Robert Kinyua, the acting deputy Vice-Chancellor (academic affairs).
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