The University of Nairobi has come out to dismiss a viral degree certificate that was purported to be that of Deputy President William Ruto. The institution labeled the certificate, which bore Ruto's name and his actual scope of study, as fake. The origin of the certificate is yet to be established.
The presidential hopeful, whose academic qualifications were given a clean bill of health by the IEBC, holds a BSc in Botany and Zoology from UON. He graduated with a degree in 1990.
Ruto later enrolled for an MSc in Plant ecology, graduating in 2011. The following year, he enrolled for a Ph.D. and after several setbacks, he completed and was awarded a Ph.D. from the University of Nairobi, graduating on 21 December 2018.
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Kindly take note pic.twitter.com/JZWu7iZcOn— University of Nairobi (@uonbi) June 17, 2022
Academic credentials debate
The dismissal of Ruto's purported degree certificate comes amid a prevailing national discourse about the validity of the academic credentials of some notable political figures.
Nairobi senator Johnson Sakaja, who is gunning for the capital's top job, is among the politicians whose academic qualifications have been put into question.
Also caught up in the mess is Senator Cleophas Malala, whose IEBC clearance has been petitioned on grounds that he used a fake degree certificate to gain the electoral body's nod to run for the Kakamega gubernatorial seat.
Ruto questions Raila's credentials
Deputy President William Ruto also poked holes in the academic qualifications of his main competitor and Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga. Speaking at a rally in Kisii county, Ruto shone the spotlight on his political nemesis as he defended his embattled lieutenant Johnson Sakaja.
"I want to tell our competitors and our former party Jubilee to leave Sakaja alone. Sakaja has gone to school and his academic qualifications are known to all. Stop politicizing the matter.
“If there is anyone with questionable academic credentials, then it is your candidate Raila Odinga. Where did he school, who are his classmates, and who taught him?” he said.
