Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) has disputed the academic records of Kimilili MP Didmus Wekesa Barasa, saying its records do not show that he ever studied at the university or graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
In a letter dated September 14, 2026, and addressed to the Secretary General of the Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK), JKUAT Registrar Academic Affairs Dr Aggrey Wanyama said the university had checked its records and found no evidence that Barasa was a student at the institution.
The letter, whose subject is “Verification of Academic Qualifications – Hon. Didmus Wekesa Barasa, MP for Kimilili,” states that Barasa’s name does not appear in the university’s records. It further says JKUAT did not have a graduation record for him in May 2008 and therefore considers the certificate presented for a Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering programme “NOT GENUINE.”
The university’s response was directed to COFEK following a request to verify the MP’s academic credentials. The letter bears the signature of Dr Wanyama and is copied to the Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
JKUAT says EACC and EBK had already been informed
JKUAT also says the matter is not new. According to the September 14 letter, the issue had previously been investigated by the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK). The university says the same information was communicated to both institutions.
The current Parliament profile for Didmus Barasa lists a Diploma in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Kenya Power & Lighting Training School, now the Institute of Energy Studies, which he reportedly pursued between 2001 and 2004. It also lists a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from Mount Kenya University between 2017 and 2021, a Master of Arts in Public Administration and Management from 2021 to 2022, and a Graduate Diploma in Project Management from 2022.
However, another version of Barasa's profile still accessible on the Parliament website lists a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from JKUAT between 2001 and 2005, alongside postgraduate qualifications from universities in Australia.
The conflicting parliamentary profiles make the latest JKUAT letter particularly significant. While the university says its records do not show Barasa as a student or graduate, one publicly accessible parliamentary profile has previously listed him as having obtained an engineering degree from JKUAT.
JKUAT's Registrar is categorical in the letter that the university did not award such a qualification to Barasa and that the certificate is “NOT GENUINE.”
The university's position is therefore not simply that it cannot locate the certificate. It says that Barasa's name does not appear in its academic records as a student and that the institution did not award him the degree identified in the certificate.
The university's official academic affairs office is responsible for matters involving admissions and student academic records. JKUAT says its admissions and academic affairs structures maintain student records and oversee undergraduate academic matters.
The Parliament profile currently lists Barasa as an EBK Graduate Engineer, registration number B11528, and also lists an EPPRA electrician licence.
What did the earlier investigations by EACC and EBK establish?
Who made all this disappear?
How did the disputed qualification enter public and professional records?