The graduation ceremony at Northwestern Christian University in Mombasa County was halted after the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) stormed the venue.
A hundred graduands were arrested and taken to Nyali Police Police Station to record statements over allegations of fake degrees.
The graduation ceremony, which was at first filled with lots of enthusiasm, turned into chaos while families of the graduands watched in tears.
“I want to declare this is a crime scene, and nobody in a gown should remain seated until we finish all the processes”, a DCI official stated.
The DCI added that they had enough evidence to conclude that the ceremony was compromised and the documents were not legal since they came from an unregistered institution.
Speaking after the storm, Commission for University Education (CUE) chairman Chacha Nyaigotti stated that they did not have certificates and that’s why they had to be stopped because there are many institutions which Kenyans are unaware of.
“When we find universities and colleges parading themselves as legitimate institutions offering programs that give our master’s degree and bachelor’s, then we must bring an end to this violation of the law”, he added.
“Today, we found this Institution conducting a graduation ceremony, and many people were getting degree certificates, some even PhDs. We worked together with the relevant authorities, and we were able to arrest the founders of the institution,” he further said.
This comes two months after Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi received an honorary degree from the same institution.
He was awarded an honorary degree certificate with an Engineer title on December 21, 2024, during the University’s graduation ceremony.
It sparked debate among many who raised complaints regarding the misuse of the professional title.
Chacha, in turn, urged Kenyans to be careful.
Meanwhile, the suspects are expected to be arraigned in court on Monday.
