Deputy Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli has moved to stop the September 26 graduation ceremony at United States International University-Africa, arguing that the university’s decision could shut him out of an academic milestone he has been pursuing.
Through lawyers Cecil Miller and Danstan Omari, Masengeli has asked the High Court to issue conservatory orders protecting his participation in the ceremony pending the hearing and determination of his case against USIU-Africa.
The application puts the university’s graduation plans and Masengeli’s academic dispute on a collision course, with barely two weeks remaining before hundreds of students are expected to graduate.
Masengeli Wants Court Intervention Before Graduation Day ¶
The matter came before Justice Patricia Nyaundi, where Masengeli’s lawyers pressed the court to act quickly because the disputed graduation date is fast approaching.
Miller told the court that he would seek interim conservatory orders to protect Masengeli’s rights and allow him to participate in the September 26 ceremony.
The lawyer urged the court to either grant the interim orders or establish an accelerated timetable that would allow the dispute to be dealt with before graduation.
“The matter seeks to stop the graduation process, which is in ten days' time,” Miller told the court.
The urgency reflects the narrow window available to Masengeli. If the university proceeds with the ceremony without resolving his dispute, any court decision delivered later could come after the graduation date has already passed.
USIU-Africa Opposes Attempt to Halt Ceremony ¶
USIU-Africa has opposed Masengeli’s application, warning that stopping the entire graduation ceremony would affect hundreds of students who are not parties to the dispute.
Lawyer Chege Njoroge told the court that the university had complied with the legal process by filing its response within two days of being served.
More importantly, the university disputes Masengeli’s eligibility for the September graduation.
Njoroge argued that Masengeli had not satisfied the academic requirements necessary to be included on the graduation list.
“I must mention to the court that the graduation is scheduled in two weeks' time, and the petitioner has not attained the academic requirements to be placed on the graduation list,” the court heard.
That position places the central issue squarely before the court: whether Masengeli has fulfilled the academic requirements necessary for graduation and whether the court should intervene before the university holds its ceremony.
Court Faces Delicate Graduation Deadline ¶
The dispute presents the High Court with a difficult timing question.
Masengeli wants interim protection before September 26, while USIU-Africa wants the court to avoid disrupting a graduation ceremony involving students who are not part of the case.
The university has already filed its response, leaving the court to consider the competing arguments as the deadline approaches.
Oral submissions on Masengeli’s application for interim orders, together with directions on the hearing of the substantive petition, were expected to proceed at 11am.
For Masengeli, the case is no longer simply about an academic dispute. The September 26 ceremony has become the immediate deadline around which his court battle with USIU-Africa now turns.
