wrongturn
Elder Lister
A university with a dubious background is taking Kenyans for a ride as it dishes out degrees, including doctorates, to prominent people, some with questionable character.
Breakthrough International Bible University (BIBU) does not have a charter and is not recognised by the Commission for University Education (CUE), which accredits universities operating in Kenya.
As a result, its graduates might be holding worthless papers despite investing heavily to obtain them.
The university operates in an unorthodox manner that has seen it award more honorary doctorate degrees than those issued even by well-established universities in just under five years.
It has no physical presence in Kenya although an internet search indicates that it is based at Mihang’o, Utawala, in Embakasi sub-County, Nairobi.
When the Nation visited the area using Google Maps to locate it, the search engine could not exactly pin-point the university and led us to a dead end.
We abandoned technology and decided to ask for directions from locals using the landmarks shown on the search. However, none had ever heard of the name and told us that we must be lost.
We called the number that pops up when one searches for the university. It was picked by a man who introduced himself as Prof Patrick Njuguna.
Prof Njuguna ,enough said!
He directed us to Thika West Centre, second floor, Room 208 in Jomoko area of Thika town if we wished to enroll with the university.
He was keen to know where we lived, and promised to link us up with a pastor from Rongai.
At the Thika office, we found two women who were also making enquiries about the university.
We were taken through the courses on offer by a woman who was introduced as ‘bishop’ and was said to be a lecturer. She explained that there was a class going on at the time in one of the compartments.
“It depends on what you call accreditation. We are an international university based in the US. For political reasons, any paper can be refused. Recognition of papers depends on where you take your degree and for what purpose,” Prof Njuguna said in response to a question on whether its programmes are recognised by the CUE.
He said that the university has not had any problems with the Ministry of Education.
BIBU describes itself as “a non-traditional, online, biblical, skills and philosophy education where your smart phone can be your campus!”
Its website, http://www.breakthroughuni.org, is a dead giveaway over its credibility since local universities’ URLs end with .ac.ke.
CUE chief executive Prof Mwenda Ntarangwi said he has no knowledge that such a university exists.
BIBU claims accreditation by the Worldwide Accreditation Commission of Christian Educational Institutions (WWAC), US, which is listed as a fake accreditation agency.
n one day in 2010 at Charter Hall, the university awarded its doctorates to 17 people, among them Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, industrialist Manu Chandaria and former Nairobi mayors Joe Aketch and Nathan Kahara.
James Maina Ng’ang’a of Neno Evangelism also has an honorary degree from the university.
The chief guest at the function was then-Speaker of the National Assembly Kenneth Marende, who was also a few months later, at a church, awarded an honorary doctorate by the same university.
Other public figures who lay claim to the prefix Dr on account of an honorary degree from BIBU are Kirinyaga Deputy Governor Peter Ndambiri, who received his honorary degree in December 2020 and was also made patron of the university.
On the same day, BIBU conferred doctorate degrees on Ruiru MP Simon King’ara and his Mathioya counterpart Peter Kimari.
Also awarded on the same day were singer Emmy Kosgei’s parents Bishop Jackson and Rosa Kosgei. The function took place at a hotel in Ruiru town.
Mr Ndambiri acknowledged his appointment but said that he could not comment on the day-to-day running of the university and directed us to Prof Njuguna.
The CEO of the Public Service Commission, Mr Simon Rotich, is also a beneficiary of BIBU’s generosity after being conferred an honorary doctorate degree on September 4, 2021.
The function was at Six Wheels Academy in Kapsagut Village, Kericho County.
Breakthrough International Bible University (BIBU) does not have a charter and is not recognised by the Commission for University Education (CUE), which accredits universities operating in Kenya.
As a result, its graduates might be holding worthless papers despite investing heavily to obtain them.
The university operates in an unorthodox manner that has seen it award more honorary doctorate degrees than those issued even by well-established universities in just under five years.
It has no physical presence in Kenya although an internet search indicates that it is based at Mihang’o, Utawala, in Embakasi sub-County, Nairobi.
When the Nation visited the area using Google Maps to locate it, the search engine could not exactly pin-point the university and led us to a dead end.
We abandoned technology and decided to ask for directions from locals using the landmarks shown on the search. However, none had ever heard of the name and told us that we must be lost.
We called the number that pops up when one searches for the university. It was picked by a man who introduced himself as Prof Patrick Njuguna.
Prof Njuguna ,enough said!
He directed us to Thika West Centre, second floor, Room 208 in Jomoko area of Thika town if we wished to enroll with the university.
He was keen to know where we lived, and promised to link us up with a pastor from Rongai.
At the Thika office, we found two women who were also making enquiries about the university.
We were taken through the courses on offer by a woman who was introduced as ‘bishop’ and was said to be a lecturer. She explained that there was a class going on at the time in one of the compartments.
“It depends on what you call accreditation. We are an international university based in the US. For political reasons, any paper can be refused. Recognition of papers depends on where you take your degree and for what purpose,” Prof Njuguna said in response to a question on whether its programmes are recognised by the CUE.
He said that the university has not had any problems with the Ministry of Education.
BIBU describes itself as “a non-traditional, online, biblical, skills and philosophy education where your smart phone can be your campus!”
Its website, http://www.breakthroughuni.org, is a dead giveaway over its credibility since local universities’ URLs end with .ac.ke.
CUE chief executive Prof Mwenda Ntarangwi said he has no knowledge that such a university exists.
BIBU claims accreditation by the Worldwide Accreditation Commission of Christian Educational Institutions (WWAC), US, which is listed as a fake accreditation agency.
n one day in 2010 at Charter Hall, the university awarded its doctorates to 17 people, among them Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, industrialist Manu Chandaria and former Nairobi mayors Joe Aketch and Nathan Kahara.
James Maina Ng’ang’a of Neno Evangelism also has an honorary degree from the university.
The chief guest at the function was then-Speaker of the National Assembly Kenneth Marende, who was also a few months later, at a church, awarded an honorary doctorate by the same university.
Other public figures who lay claim to the prefix Dr on account of an honorary degree from BIBU are Kirinyaga Deputy Governor Peter Ndambiri, who received his honorary degree in December 2020 and was also made patron of the university.
On the same day, BIBU conferred doctorate degrees on Ruiru MP Simon King’ara and his Mathioya counterpart Peter Kimari.
Also awarded on the same day were singer Emmy Kosgei’s parents Bishop Jackson and Rosa Kosgei. The function took place at a hotel in Ruiru town.
Mr Ndambiri acknowledged his appointment but said that he could not comment on the day-to-day running of the university and directed us to Prof Njuguna.
The CEO of the Public Service Commission, Mr Simon Rotich, is also a beneficiary of BIBU’s generosity after being conferred an honorary doctorate degree on September 4, 2021.
The function was at Six Wheels Academy in Kapsagut Village, Kericho County.
