Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology has delivered a damning verdict on the academic credentials of Kimilili Member of Parliament Didmus Barasa, declaring that he was never a student at the institution and that the degree certificate he has been presenting is fake.
In a letter dated 14 September 2026, the university’s Registrar of Academic Affairs, Dr Aggrey Wanyama, informed the Consumers Federation of Kenya that Barasa’s name does not appear in any of JKUAT’s records.
The university stated clearly that it did not award him a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering in May 2008. The purported certificate, the letter said, is “NOT GENUINE.”
The strong wording leaves little room for doubt. JKUAT confirmed that the same findings had already been communicated to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the Engineers Board of Kenya after earlier investigations. This means the questions surrounding Barasa’s qualifications are not new. Official bodies have examined the matter before, yet the MP has continued to hold public office while relying on credentials the university now publicly rejects.
The revelation raises serious questions about the integrity of those who seek and hold elected positions. Voters in Kimilili and Kenyans at large have a right to expect that their representatives meet basic standards of honesty. When a sitting legislator is found to have presented a document that the issuing university calls false, trust in public institutions takes another hit.
It also invites scrutiny of how such claims go unchallenged for years and what systems failed to catch the problem earlier.
Barasa has previously presented himself as an engineer and academic. The university’s letter undercuts that foundation. If the first degree is not genuine, further claims built on it become harder to defend. The public is left wondering how many other officials may be relying on papers that cannot withstand official checks.
COFEK requested the verification, and JKUAT responded with a formal, signed statement. The letter has been shared widely, placing the matter firmly in the public domain.
Authorities who previously looked into the case now face renewed pressure to explain what action, if any, followed their earlier findings.
In a country where academic certificates open doors to power and influence, the confirmation that an elected leader’s key qualification is invalid is more than an individual embarrassment. It is a test of whether institutions will enforce the rules equally or allow the powerful to operate under different standards.
The university has spoken. The next move belongs to those charged with upholding the law and protecting the public interest.
