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Kenyatta University throws Governor Samboja under the bus over fake degree
By Willis Oketch
Published: Sep 19th 2017 at 10:44, Updated: Sep 19th 2017 at 10:44
Taita Taveta Governor Granton Samboja. (Photo: File/Standard)
SUMMARY
Samboja is facing a petition challenging his victory and one of the grounds filed by a voter, seeking to cancel the win is that the governor has a fake degree certificate
Under the 2010 Constitution and Kenya’s electoral law, one must have a degree from a recognised university to be elected governor
The degree certificate Taita Taveta Governor Granton Samboja presented to contest in the August 8 election is a forgery, Kenyatta University has said.
The university said Samboja has never been a student at the institution.
ALSO READ: Governor introduces new dress code for county staff
Samboja is facing a petition challenging his victory and one of the grounds filed by Armstrong Mwandoo Kiwoi, a voter, seeking to cancel the win is that the governor uttered false documents from Kenyatta University, including a degree certificate.
Kiwoi has sued the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for accepting Samboja’s suspect degree certificate.
Under the 2010 Constitution and Kenya’s electoral law, one must have a degree from a recognised university to be elected governor.
Samboja has been under investigation since April when the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) wrote to the University for Information on three certificates, including a diploma and degree, the future governor had claimed to possess lawfully.
The documents indicate Samboja studied certificate, diploma, and degree courses at Kenyatta University between 2002 to 2009.
ALSO READ: Governor Samboja takes charge amidst degree queries
Kenyatta University, which has also been sued by the petitioner, defended itself in the electoral court in Mombasa when its declared through an official that the “....certificates were and are fake”.
Aaron Tanui, the legal officer at the university, yesterday further said despite the alleged forgery Samboja still tried to gain admission for masters of business administration studies in the same institution but was turned away.
Tanui said in the application for the masters programme, Samboja claimed he earned a bachelors degree from Universadad E Dee Costa Rica. The official said the governor, when applying for the masters course, attached a document indicating he scored a grade C in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations although he got grade D.
But Samboja, who is facing a similar case at the Milimani law courts files by EACC, has fought back, arguing that the electoral court has no jurisdiction to entertain Kiwoi’s petition. Samboja argues that the matter ought to be decided by another court and not the one adjudicating electoral disputes.
His lawyer, Edwin Ayiro, in a preliminary objection, wants Justice Erick Ogola to hear his application first before the hearing of the petition filed by Kiwoi.
Samboja insists Kiwoi should have raised the complaints to IEBC.
The governor says the petition was in the wrong place because the issues he was raising were already at the Milimani Court in Nairobi.
ALSO READ: New dress code for Taita-Taveta County employees
He said investigations into his academic qualifications were being done by EACC, which was supposed to hand over its findings to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to charge him.
The Kenyatta University lawyer, Awi Kibet, says his client has never received any letter for Samboja’s admission to the university.
“Granton Samboja did not graduate with a bachelor of commerce degree in the year 2009, nor a diploma in human resource management, nor a certificate in project management from Kenyatta University, as per the copies sent to us by EACC and the certificates were and are fake,” Kibet said.
Interested parties
He described Samboja’s assertion that he was at Kenyatta University as ‘lies’.
Samboja insists he is qualified to be the Taita Taveta governor.
Justice Ogola ordered that Celina Mkambere Mwakio and John Mwasiege, also voters, be enjoined as interested parties in the case. They are supporting Kiwoi in seeking the nullification of Samboja’s win.
The judge also ordered that a pre-trial conference be held at the Voi High Court on October 13 to give direction on the application to stop the court from hearing the petition.
ALSO READ: CS Matiang'i new blow to cheats and ghost staff
Investigations by EACC found that Samboja scored a D plain in KCSE in 1994.
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Granton Samboja
fake certificates
governor's fake deg
By Willis Oketch
Published: Sep 19th 2017 at 10:44, Updated: Sep 19th 2017 at 10:44
Taita Taveta Governor Granton Samboja. (Photo: File/Standard)
SUMMARY
Samboja is facing a petition challenging his victory and one of the grounds filed by a voter, seeking to cancel the win is that the governor has a fake degree certificate
Under the 2010 Constitution and Kenya’s electoral law, one must have a degree from a recognised university to be elected governor
The degree certificate Taita Taveta Governor Granton Samboja presented to contest in the August 8 election is a forgery, Kenyatta University has said.
The university said Samboja has never been a student at the institution.
ALSO READ: Governor introduces new dress code for county staff
Samboja is facing a petition challenging his victory and one of the grounds filed by Armstrong Mwandoo Kiwoi, a voter, seeking to cancel the win is that the governor uttered false documents from Kenyatta University, including a degree certificate.
Kiwoi has sued the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for accepting Samboja’s suspect degree certificate.
Under the 2010 Constitution and Kenya’s electoral law, one must have a degree from a recognised university to be elected governor.
Samboja has been under investigation since April when the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) wrote to the University for Information on three certificates, including a diploma and degree, the future governor had claimed to possess lawfully.
The documents indicate Samboja studied certificate, diploma, and degree courses at Kenyatta University between 2002 to 2009.
ALSO READ: Governor Samboja takes charge amidst degree queries
Kenyatta University, which has also been sued by the petitioner, defended itself in the electoral court in Mombasa when its declared through an official that the “....certificates were and are fake”.
Aaron Tanui, the legal officer at the university, yesterday further said despite the alleged forgery Samboja still tried to gain admission for masters of business administration studies in the same institution but was turned away.
Tanui said in the application for the masters programme, Samboja claimed he earned a bachelors degree from Universadad E Dee Costa Rica. The official said the governor, when applying for the masters course, attached a document indicating he scored a grade C in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations although he got grade D.
But Samboja, who is facing a similar case at the Milimani law courts files by EACC, has fought back, arguing that the electoral court has no jurisdiction to entertain Kiwoi’s petition. Samboja argues that the matter ought to be decided by another court and not the one adjudicating electoral disputes.
His lawyer, Edwin Ayiro, in a preliminary objection, wants Justice Erick Ogola to hear his application first before the hearing of the petition filed by Kiwoi.
Samboja insists Kiwoi should have raised the complaints to IEBC.
The governor says the petition was in the wrong place because the issues he was raising were already at the Milimani Court in Nairobi.
ALSO READ: New dress code for Taita-Taveta County employees
He said investigations into his academic qualifications were being done by EACC, which was supposed to hand over its findings to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to charge him.
The Kenyatta University lawyer, Awi Kibet, says his client has never received any letter for Samboja’s admission to the university.
“Granton Samboja did not graduate with a bachelor of commerce degree in the year 2009, nor a diploma in human resource management, nor a certificate in project management from Kenyatta University, as per the copies sent to us by EACC and the certificates were and are fake,” Kibet said.
Interested parties
He described Samboja’s assertion that he was at Kenyatta University as ‘lies’.
Samboja insists he is qualified to be the Taita Taveta governor.
Justice Ogola ordered that Celina Mkambere Mwakio and John Mwasiege, also voters, be enjoined as interested parties in the case. They are supporting Kiwoi in seeking the nullification of Samboja’s win.
The judge also ordered that a pre-trial conference be held at the Voi High Court on October 13 to give direction on the application to stop the court from hearing the petition.
ALSO READ: CS Matiang'i new blow to cheats and ghost staff
Investigations by EACC found that Samboja scored a D plain in KCSE in 1994.
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Granton Samboja
fake certificates
governor's fake deg