Revocation of Ph.D degrees and campus closure by CUE raises moral, ethical and legal issues

It’s morally wrong, unprofessional and illegal for individual/institutions to cancel ones qualification and/or status without first letting them know of the imminent revocation and/or closure of their entities. Indeed, revocation of Ph.D degrees by Commission of university education is welcomed; but they need to employ right procedures before going to the press.

The Vice chancellors and management board of affected Universities have come out guns blazing condemning the modus operandi employed by CUE when announcing the imminent closure of their campuses and/or revocation of its degrees and programs. CUE has been condemned for its unprofessionalism for its failure to inform the University management board before going to the press. If recent media information is anything to go by, that the Commission for University Education (CUE) has revoked doctorate of philosophy degrees (Ph.D) awarded to five students by one of the public University in Kenya in December 2014, and that CUE has also confirmed that it does not recognize the degrees of two students who were admitted into Master Degree programs at the institution from other local universities irregularly, it’s also important to query the procedures of delivery to this painful information to the affected persons and institutions. The commission chairman Prof. Henry Thairu said (through the media) that student admissions were highly irregular based on a postgraduate credit transfer policy that is not provided for in either the Kisii University Statutes or the Universities Standards and Guidelines, 2014.

To confirm this, Kisii University vice chancellor Prof. Jared Akama has been quoted saying that no official contact had been made by the Commission. He said in part…. “We have learnt it from the press," said Prof Akama in a statement read on his behalf by Prof Morris Amutabi, the institution's Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic and Student's Affairs. Indeed, this is a voice of many affected universities. Yes, it’s important for CUE to maintain quality but the imminent closure of those campuses and the inspection report must be given to the university management long before their closure. This is the only professional way.

It’s undeniably true that CUE has been entrusted to keep check of quality in Kenyan higher education but that said and done, it’s also imperative for them to observe rules and procedures on its delivery of the imminent closure of any institution. Private and public University’s vice chancellors of all affected Universities have come out condemning the procedure because they heard of their university’s closure through press and not through prior writing by CUE.

All we ask is quality and sanity in our universities but CUE also needs to follow procedures. They should first report the imminent closure and/or revocation of any kind to the affected universities long before going to the press. It’s unethical and breach of legal and professional ethics for the affected universities management to hear of this painful decision by CUE through media. Let’s instill professionalism as we instill quality too. Indeed, this is a reawakening call but so many questions arise: Where was CUE when these students were enrolled and conferred? What was the role of the registrars of this university in ensuring admission is beyond approach? What are the universities policy on matters transfer and exemptions of units from another university?

Dr. Njenga, Solomon is Chair – Governance, Peace and Security Studies at Africa Nazarene University, Kenya