Kimilili MP Didmus Wekesa Barasa is facing renewed scrutiny over his academic credentials after Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) reportedly confirmed that he was not a student at the institution and that a certificate attributed to the university is not genuine.
The latest claims were highlighted by the Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK), which shared details of a letter from JKUAT’s Registrar (Academic Affairs) dated September 14, 2026, referenced JKU/2/66/049.
According to the university’s reported response, Barasa’s name does not appear in its alumni records. JKUAT also stated that it did not hold a graduation ceremony in May 2008, the period linked to the Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering certificate attributed to Barasa.
Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa speaks during a past event. Photo/https://web.facebook.com/didmusbarasamutua
The university reportedly concluded that the purported certificate was not genuine.
The claims place fresh focus on questions that have previously surrounded the academic credentials of the Kimilili lawmaker.
JKUAT says agencies were informed
COFEK says the issue goes beyond the university’s latest letter, noting that JKUAT had previously communicated the same findings to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK).
The development raises questions about what action, if any, was taken by the two agencies after receiving the university’s findings.
A September 2026 court ruling involving Barasa also referred to an earlier matter concerning allegations that he forged a JKUAT degree certificate.
The court noted that EACC had reportedly recommended prosecution, but also recorded that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions had directed further investigations. The court consequently said there was no conclusive evidence of forgery at that interlocutory stage.
An edited version of JKUAT certificate MP Didmus Barasa claimed was genuine before being flagged. Photo/https://web.facebook.com/ConsumersKenya
COFEK is now demanding greater accountability from the agencies involved, particularly on whether the university’s findings were acted upon.
The controversy comes as scrutiny of academic credentials in public service continues, with Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku recently saying public servants found to have used fraudulent academic credentials to secure employment or advance their careers would be dismissed.
Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa speaks during a past event. Photo/https://web.facebook.com/didmusbarasamutua
For Barasa, the latest JKUAT communication puts his reported engineering qualification back under the spotlight and raises questions about the circumstances under which the certificate was presented and subsequently recognised.
The MP has not, in the material reviewed for this report, publicly responded to the latest JKUAT letter and COFEK’s claims.
The matter also puts renewed attention on EACC, EBK and the Commission for University Education over the handling of the academic credentials in question.
