Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa has rejected claims that he holds an engineering degree from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), saying his academic record instead includes undergraduate and master's degrees from Mount Kenya University and a doctorate from Murang’a University of Technology.
Barasa’s clarification comes after JKUAT said it had found no record showing that he studied at the university and declared a Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering certificate attributed to him inauthentic.
The university made the disclosure in a September 14, 2026 letter to the Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK), which had requested verification of the qualification.
Speaking during an interview with KTN News on Thursday, September 17, Barasa said he obtained both his undergraduate and master's degrees from Mount Kenya University before pursuing his doctoral studies at Murang’a University of Technology.
“I have a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Kenya University, a master's degree from Mount Kenya University and a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration from Murang'a University,” he said.
Barasa was addressing reports linking him to a Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering degree allegedly issued by JKUAT in 2008.
In its response to COFEK, JKUAT said a search of its academic records did not show that Barasa had ever been enrolled at the institution.
The university’s Registrar of Academic Affairs, Dr Aggrey Wanyama, said the records also showed that the institution did not hold a graduation ceremony in May 2008, the date appearing on the disputed certificate.
“We have established that Hon Didmus Wekesa Barasa was not a student at JKUAT. His name does not appear in our alumni records, and JKUAT did not have a graduation in May 2008. His certificate for the Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering programme is therefore not genuine,” Wanyama said.
JKUAT further stated that the issue had previously been brought to the attention of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK).
However, the September 14 letter reflects JKUAT’s findings from its own academic records and does not amount to a separate finding by either EACC or EBK.
The controversy has brought renewed attention to Barasa’s academic background, with the National Assembly’s current profile providing a different account from the disputed JKUAT qualification.
According to Parliament’s profile, Barasa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from Mount Kenya University and a Master of Arts in Public Administration and Management from the same institution. His profile also lists a Graduate Diploma in Project Management and a Diploma in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Kenya Power & Lighting Training School, now known as the Institute of Energy Studies.
The parliamentary profile does not list a Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering from JKUAT.
Barasa also recently added a doctorate to his academic record after graduating from Murang’a University of Technology on August 28, 2026.
He was among graduates at the university’s 10th graduation ceremony, where he received a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration.
His doctoral research focused on county governments’ branding strategies and satisfaction with service delivery among small and medium-sized enterprises, with Bungoma County used as the case study.
Murang’a University had earlier confirmed that Barasa had completed his fieldwork and defended his thesis, thereby meeting the requirements for the award.
Despite the university’s position on the disputed engineering certificate, Barasa has maintained that the questions surrounding his academic record are politically driven.
He has also questioned COFEK Secretary-General Stephen Mutoro’s decision to pursue verification of his qualifications.
“So how can he [Mutoro] purport now to be doing background checks, writing to universities?” Barasa said.
Mutoro, who has been seeking clarification over the disputed qualification, said in a statement on X that Barasa had sworn an affidavit in an attempt to show that his academic record was in order.
“His own exhibits raise questions,” Mutoro said.
Barasa has in turn defended his PhD and the research work that led to the qualification, linking the study to challenges affecting Bungoma County.
“A PhD is not merely the title of an academic programme; it is the scholarly response to an identified research gap.”
The latest disagreement is therefore focused on the Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering certificate attributed to JKUAT.
The university maintains that Barasa was never its student, that his name is missing from its alumni records and that there was no graduation ceremony at the institution in May 2008.
Barasa, however, continues to maintain that the academic qualifications he has identified were obtained from the institutions he has named and has dismissed the JKUAT engineering-degree claim as part of a political campaign against him.