This archive report was first published on 31 July 2019.
July 31, 2019
The Commission for University Education (CUE) has raised concerns over the quality of PhD degrees awarded by the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) since 2014.
According to CUE, the high number of PhD awards from JKUAT in recent years were not correctly earned due to deficiencies in the institution's postgraduate training.
Between June and November 2018, and June 2019, JKUAT awarded a total of 327 PhD degrees and 2,101 masters' degrees.
Out of the 327 PhDs awarded within 12 months, 241 were from the College of Human Resource Development, 26 from the College of Health Sciences, 16 from the College of Pure and Applied Sciences, and 14 from the College of Agricultural and Natural Resources.
The audit found that many of the teaching staff identified as supervisors were based in the main campus, raising questions about the quality of training of the majority of PhD graduates trained in satellite campuses.
It was observed that some supervisors were carrying a supervision load that exceeded the recommended threshold of 3 PhDs and 5 Masters in any given academic year.
For instance, in the last three graduations, the supervisors graduated 41, 30, and 33 PhD students respectively, and each of the three supervisors also graduated 45, 106, and 72 Masters students.
Furthermore, some examiners' reports were not duly signed, either by all or in some cases by some, thus putting their authenticity into doubt.
Additionally, some students published two papers in the same issue of a journal, and some of the journals published were non-existent.
For 2019, out of the 118 PhD graduates, 112 had been approved by the Senate and their names appeared in the Graduation booklet, while the remaining six were administratively approved for graduation by the Vice Chancellor on behalf of the Senate and their names were also published in the graduation booklet.
