Wasieba rejected over forged degree
May 04, 2005
A forged degree certificate from an Indian University has denied Mbale Municipality MP Wanjusi Wasieba a ministerial post.
By Felix Osike and John Eremu
A forged degree certificate from an Indian University has denied Mbale Municipality MP Wanjusi Wasieba a ministerial post.
While the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) cleared Wasieba as having the equivalent of ‘A’ Level academic qualifications, sources on the parliamentary appointments committee, which vets presidential nominees, said falsified academic documents were the reason for Wasieba’s rejection.
UNEB secretary Matthew Bukenya said they cleared Wasieba, the former state minister for works, on the basis of a diploma certificate he submitted but that the board had no authority to equate degrees.
“As far as we are concerned, he has the equivalent of ‘A’ level and we cleared him on that basis. We do not know about the degree,†Bukenya said.
“The appointments committee chaired by Speaker Edward Ssekandi wondered how Wasieba’s Bachelor of Architecture degree, which he used to enter Parliament in 1996, mysteriously disappeared from his Curriculum Vitae.
“The reason why we didn’t approve him was on grounds of corruption and dishonesty because he lied in the sixth Parliament that he had a degree which he doesn’t have now,†a committee member said.
When contacted yesterday, Wasieba said the committee was simply running away from a problem it created.
“I submitted everything,†Wasieba said, adding, “But I don’t want to go to the press now. I will be happy if nothing is published at the moment. I am trying to reach the president, but I am a little bit blocked. One day I will get to him.â€
Sources said when President Yoweri Museveni was informed of the forgeries he was irked that his security vetting committee failed to detect them.
Contrary to allegations that Mbale MPs were the ones blocking Wasieba’s appointment, Ssekandi’s letter to the President said the approval was withheld in accordance with Rule 141 of Parliament.
It says: “Approval of the committee shall not be withheld unless the committee is satisfied on evidence that the person nominated is not fit and proper to hold the office to which the nomination relates,†as well as corruption and dishonesty.
In the sixth Parliament Wasieba claimed he had a second-class degree in Architecture from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, which he got in 1981.
But in last year’s by-election to replace late foreign affairs minister James Wapakhabulo, Wasieba submitted different documents, showing that he had a diploma in customs, clearing and forwarding from the Institute of Shipping and Management got on February 28, 2003.
However, in a May 31, 2004 letter, the Ministry of Education said the institute was illegal.
“The above-mentioned institution is neither registered with the ministry of education nor with the National Council for Higher Education,†E. K Rwasheema, the assistant commissioner for higher education, wrote.
During cross-examination by the committee, Wasieba was asked why he did not want to associate himself with the degree he presented in 1996.
In 2001, Wasieba was not nominated for the Bubulo west seat due to lack of qualifications. MPs must have ‘A’ level certificates or their equivalent as minimum qualification.
Sources said Wasieba’s testimony had a lot of inconsistencies, casting doubt on the authenticity of his other documents submitted to the Electoral Commission for the parliamentary nominations.
Sources said the architects’ professional body had also questioned the papers. Wasieba reportedly conceded that he had not attended Maharaja after the body grilled him.
A forged degree certificate from an Indian University has denied Mbale Municipality MP Wanjusi Wasieba a ministerial post.
While the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) cleared Wasieba as having the equivalent of ‘A’ Level academic qualifications, sources on the parliamentary appointments committee, which vets presidential nominees, said falsified academic documents were the reason for Wasieba’s rejection.
UNEB secretary Matthew Bukenya said they cleared Wasieba, the former state minister for works, on the basis of a diploma certificate he submitted but that the board had no authority to equate degrees.
“As far as we are concerned, he has the equivalent of ‘A’ level and we cleared him on that basis. We do not know about the degree,†Bukenya said.
“The appointments committee chaired by Speaker Edward Ssekandi wondered how Wasieba’s Bachelor of Architecture degree, which he used to enter Parliament in 1996, mysteriously disappeared from his Curriculum Vitae.
“The reason why we didn’t approve him was on grounds of corruption and dishonesty because he lied in the sixth Parliament that he had a degree which he doesn’t have now,†a committee member said.
When contacted yesterday, Wasieba said the committee was simply running away from a problem it created.
“I submitted everything,†Wasieba said, adding, “But I don’t want to go to the press now. I will be happy if nothing is published at the moment. I am trying to reach the president, but I am a little bit blocked. One day I will get to him.â€
Sources said when President Yoweri Museveni was informed of the forgeries he was irked that his security vetting committee failed to detect them.
Contrary to allegations that Mbale MPs were the ones blocking Wasieba’s appointment, Ssekandi’s letter to the President said the approval was withheld in accordance with Rule 141 of Parliament.
It says: “Approval of the committee shall not be withheld unless the committee is satisfied on evidence that the person nominated is not fit and proper to hold the office to which the nomination relates,†as well as corruption and dishonesty.
In the sixth Parliament Wasieba claimed he had a second-class degree in Architecture from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, which he got in 1981.
But in last year’s by-election to replace late foreign affairs minister James Wapakhabulo, Wasieba submitted different documents, showing that he had a diploma in customs, clearing and forwarding from the Institute of Shipping and Management got on February 28, 2003.
However, in a May 31, 2004 letter, the Ministry of Education said the institute was illegal.
“The above-mentioned institution is neither registered with the ministry of education nor with the National Council for Higher Education,†E. K Rwasheema, the assistant commissioner for higher education, wrote.
During cross-examination by the committee, Wasieba was asked why he did not want to associate himself with the degree he presented in 1996.
In 2001, Wasieba was not nominated for the Bubulo west seat due to lack of qualifications. MPs must have ‘A’ level certificates or their equivalent as minimum qualification.
Sources said Wasieba’s testimony had a lot of inconsistencies, casting doubt on the authenticity of his other documents submitted to the Electoral Commission for the parliamentary nominations.
Sources said the architects’ professional body had also questioned the papers. Wasieba reportedly conceded that he had not attended Maharaja after the body grilled him.