Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho is likely to face another battle over his academic credentials, with highly-placed sources saying a fresh court case is to be filed against him for claiming he obtained a degree from Kampala University in Uganda.

In 2013 the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) set up a committee to probe Bachelor of Business Administration degree awarded to  Joho and after its findings, the committee instructed the higher education regulatory body not to recognise the degree awarded to the governor on February 28, 2013.

The committee also recommended that an investigation be carried out on all students who graduated at the same university on the same day.

“NCHE should carry out an investigation into the processes from admission to graduation of all the students who graduated on February 28, 2013, with the Bachelor of Business Administration degree of Kampala University,” reads part of the report.

However, according to the sources, Joho, who at the time was contesting for the Mombasa gubernatorial seat, allegedly manipulated a top executive at National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) and a Minister of Education who has since then been dropped, to influence the NCHE to clear him against the allegations of forging academic documents.

The sources told EagleOnline that before the earlier case was determined in Joho’s favour, the said minister and the NCHE top executive travelled to Mombasa with Joho’s brother and their Kenyan lawyer Denis Mosota, where a meeting was held and the parties agreed on how punch holes in the Governor’s prosecution.

Further, the sources said the two Ugandan senior officials travelled to the United States at the same time with Joho, where it is alleged they received money to thwart any negative attempts made against Joho.

“Upon return the top NCHE executive swore an affidavit in court in favour of Joho and the university, while the minister wrote a letter clearing the university,” the sources said.

Background

In 2013, a committee was set up after a special meeting of the Accreditation and Quality Assurance Committee of the NCHE to authenticate a degree awarded by a Kampala University to Joho and the committee recommended that the award be withdrawn.

Mr Joho had been accused by political his rivals for having  faked his academic credentials before the general elections in Kenya in 2012, that saw him become Governor. The Governor had apparently received a certificate that showed that he earned a Second Class Upper division degree.

When the High Court in Nairobi cleared Mr Joho to contest, his rivals took the case to a Mombasa court, insisting that his degree was fake.
In a February 2013 report to government and NCHE, the Director Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID), Ms Grace Akullo, said NCHE should analyse the assembled evidence to enable it form an opinion as to whether Mr Joho passed through the due process to attain a Bachelor of Business Administration degree of Kampala University. She faulted both the NCHE and Kampala University for failing to provide all the required information.

However, Mr Joho filed a case in Kampala challenging the authority of the NCHE to withdraw his degree. Justice Stephen Kavuma of the Constitutional Court issued an interim order on April 22, 2013 stopping any proceedings as far as the Joho saga was concerned, pending determination of the case.

Joho is currently being investigated in Kenya over another academic forgery case where experts have taken samples of his handwriting and signature to ascertain those ones where he is allegedly involved. However, according to media reports, Joho said he is not afraid even after he saw charge sheets bearing his name during the interrogation. The experts will analyse the samples against hand-written sections of a document police allege was a forgery Joho used to gain admission to the University of Nairobi.

Joho has denied forging the document and also being the owner of a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificate and results result slip showing a Mr Ali Hassan graduating with a grade C+ in 1992 at Serani Secondary School in Mombasa.

Documents leaked from the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC), in a confidential communication with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) dated January 26 this year, states the certificate is a forgery. However, Joho said he scored a Grade D- in KCSE in 1993 at Serani Secondary and denied any links with the 1992 document.

Recently, Serani Secondary School principal Abbas Ulaya said a candidate by the name Hassan Ali sat KCSE at the school in 1993.

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The government has suspended the seven-day ultimatum for the registration of SIM cards that was announced by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) last week.

According to a release by the Government Interactive Centre (UGIC), the government has decided to extend the exercise by one month, to May 19.

Yesterday Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, while weighing in on the issue that has since become contentious, said government would review the UCC directive.

“At the close of the deadline, we shall assess and advise. Make every effort to meet and beat the deadline for the SIM Card verification exercise,” he said.

The development comes as the High Court was today expected to hear an application by ‘Jobless Brotherhood’ leader Norman Tumuhimbise, seeking to block the re-registration process before the given a Thursday deadline by the UCC.

Tumuhimbise, who had sued the UCC jointly with Rights Trumpet Limited, is no stranger to controversy and first came to the limelight in 2015 when he led a shadowy umbrella group, the Jobless Brotherhood, to drop piglets coloured in yellow, the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) colour, at Parliament.

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Today marks the 12^th day Makerere University researcher Dr Stella Nyanzi is in detention for allegedly calling President Yoweri Museveni a ‘pair of buttocks’.

But ever since Nyanzi’s arrest, none of her three children has seen her because as the long-awaited day to visit her came, they were blocked by prison officials.

Indeed, daughter, Baraka, 11, and her twin brothers Wasswa and Kato accompanied by relatives and activists went to Luzira prison Wednesday morning to visit Dr.Nyanzi as early as 8am but they were stopped.

“We are blocked together with Dr. Stella Nyanzi’s children! The prison warders say they are waiting for orders from above before they let us in! All the other visitors are being allowed in; save for those who have come to see Nyanzi!” Makerere University LC 5 Woman Councillor, Doreen Nyanjura wrote on social media early morning.

And by 1pm, they still hadn’t been let in.

“Still Blocked! We are over 30 people, we have all come to see Dr Stella Nyanzi, we have been at the first entrance of Luzira Women’s gate since 9;00am! Stella Nyanzi doesn’t have a right to receive visitors; not even her children! Who is this ‘above’ that stops children who haven’t seen their mother in over a fort night from accessing her? What has this nation come to? Wednesday is an open day for visitation for all prisoners in Luzira, why can’t Stella see her people?”

By press time it was not possible to get comment from the Prisons spokesperson Frank Baine.

Nyanzi was arrested about two weeks back as she left MacKinnon Suites where she had been addressing a workshop organized by Rotary Uganda.

Two charges were brought against her, with the first count being that ‘Dr Nyanzi on January 28, 2017 at Kampala District or thereabout used a computer to post on her Facbook page ‘Stella Nyanzi’ wherein she made a suggestion or proposal referring to His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni as among others ‘a pair of buttocks’ which suggestion/ proposal is obscene or indecent’.

In the second count, prosecution states that Dr Nyanzi ‘between January 2017 and march 2017 in Kampala district wilfully and repeatedly used electronic communication to post messages offensive in nature via Facebook, transmitted over the internet to disturb or attempted to disturb the peace, quiet or right of privacy of His Excellency the President of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni with no purpose of legitimate communication’.

She denied both charges.

Magistrate James Ereemye remanded her to Luzira prison until April 25 when her bail application is expected to be heard.

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The police has temporarily held Kampala Central Member of Parliament Muhammad Nsereko over the city traders strike against Chinese and increments in rent.

Nsereko, who was later released, had joined the Nakasero market traders who sought to know how some Chinese and Indians acquire the requisite documentation to work in Uganda ‘despite the high unemployment rates’.

“We have plenty of Indians and Chinese doing jobs Ugandans should be doing,” Nsereko said adding that they had started up an operation code-named ‘Operation Wajjya Otya’, literary meaning ‘operation how did you come’ to ensure only legitimate Chinese and Indians stay and do business in Kampala.

Meanwhile, Nsereko also rubbished the ongoing exercise to re-register SIM Cards, saying it was an effort in futility, carried out without taking into consideration the prevailing circumstances.

“The only problem is that you make decisions in comfort of your swinging chairs and forget the reality,” he said, adding: “These guys are absolutely out of touch with the people on ground. Their arrogance is unacceptable.”

According to Nsereko, the registration is also inconsequential in as far as security is concerned. “Issuing of national IDs and SIM card registration will not curb these kifeesi guys who break into houses,” he said.

He added: “People are using unregistered numbers from different countries through roaming. Police are trying to curb nothing here.”

Meanwhile, the High Court is expected to hear an application by ‘Jobless Brotherhood’ leader Norman Tumuhimbise, through which he is seeking to block the re-registration process, given a Thursday deadline by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC). Tumuhimbise, who sued the UCC jointly with Rights Trumpet Limited, is no stranger to controversy and first came to the limelight in 2015 when he led a shadowy umbrella group, the Jobless Brotherhood, to drop piglets coloured in yellow, the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) colour, at Parliament.

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