A petitioner has moved to court to bar Senator Cleophas Malala from vying as the governor of Kakamega. The petition has questioned the credibility of his academic qualifications.
The petitioner, Fred Muka, contends the legitimacy of Malala’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificate.
The court should rule on it before he can run for Governor of State Kakamega in the August 9 General Election.
Muka is asking the court to stop the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) from publishing Malala’s name as a candidate in the next elections until the issue is heard and decided.
He also wants the replies to be forced to provide the requisite evidence and records to back up Malala’s degree and KCSE certifications.
The petitioner alleges that the Senator’s KCSE certificate has a different KNEC code from the one provided to Friends School, Kamusinga, where he took the exam.
“While the 1st Respondent alleges that he graduated from USIU in the year 2011, his degree certificate was printed and issued to him on August 10, 2019. This is eight years after the purported graduation yet ordinarily the date on a degree certificate is the day a person graduates from an institution,” reads court documents.
Malala’s USIU degree certificate includes inconsistencies, anomalies, and contradictions, according to court documents, leading them to assume it is not genuine.
Vice-Chancellor, United States International University (USIU), Commission for University Education, and Kenya National Examinations Council are among the respondents in the lawsuit (KNEC).
The IEBC, the Returning Officer for Kakamega County, the EACC, and the DCI, are also included among the respondents.
In a recent interview, the senator was asked to explain why his certificate said 2019, but he claimed to have graduated between 2010 and 2011.
During an interview with a local television station, the outspoken senator struggled to recollect the exact day and year of his graduation, dismissing journalists questioning the conflicting dates.
“If you didn’t graduate with a degree then these things may be difficult to follow (Ndio nakuambia kama hukufanya degree huwezi jua),” Malala stated.