Degree for Hire: Eldoret National Polytechnic Confers Doctorate Degree on Oscar Kipchumba Sudi

Dr. Oscar Kipchumba Sudi (in red ceremonial gown) provided tight security during the graduation procession at Eldoret National Polytechnic on Saturday 21 December 2024. Photo | Facebook

Doctorate degrees awarded “Honoris causa” are often meant as a recognition for excelling in a certain field. Although they do not require strictly academic merit, institutions who award them are careful not to compromise academic standards and conventionally give out such high recognition to individuals who have undergone a previous degree program and excelled in the same or a similar discipline in the corporate world, politics, leadership or academia.

There’s no question that from a matatu tout to being an MP and a member of President Ruto’s kitchen cabinet Sudi has come a very long way. That does not absolve his past of dubious and forged academic papers.

In 2022 a court was told that the Sudi fabricated certificates were such poor imitations that even the name of the school Highway Secondary in Nairobi where he claimed to have sat for his KCSE Exam was misspelt.

Sudi also used the postal address of a private citizen purporting it to be that of Highway School.

“I was also able to confirm from the school that before the year 2012, the school code for highway secondary school was 401005 and not 401006 as contained in the copy of the KCSE certificate presented to me by Sudi,” the Investigating Officer told the court.

The officer said they were also able to establish that student index number 401005081 who sat the KCSE exam was one Nicholas Otieno of admission number 14180 who was admitted to that school on 17 February 2003 (the same year according to the Parliament MPs portal when Sudi allegedly graduated with a Diploma from Kenya Institute of Mass Communication.)

Questions now remain whether parents will be enthusiastic to take their children to an institution whose leadership flagrantly becomes oblivious to the significance of a learning institution upholding the tenet of academic proficiency even merely for the sake of standards and image.

Seemingly, the award of fake degrees has moved from the dingy printers workshops on River Road, Nairobi, to the respectability of college boardrooms.

While accepting the honour, Oscar Kipchumba Sudi said this recognition highlights the limitless nature of education, which truly has no boundaries (as if he would know that).

Sudi’s academic background is a subject of ongoing controversy as he continues to live, work and pretend to be Nicholas Otieno.

Initially the former makanga (matatu tout) had gone public claiming that he was far more intelligent than “people who went to school.”

Having used forged papers to be elected a Member of Parliament, Sudi has carefully avoided being embroiled in intellectual discourses.

“I am deeply honoured to receive an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Leadership, Administration, and Management from Eldoret National Polytechnic. This recognition underscores the limitless nature of education—it truly has no limits. To the graduates, congratulations on this remarkable milestone. May your journeys ahead be impactful and inspiring.” Sudi said.

It now remains to be seen if the Commission for Higher Education and the Ministry of Education will move to curb this wanton pillage of our education system.