A consumer lobby has gone to court to challenge Kibabii University's plan to confer an honorary doctorate on Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka, putting a question mark over one of the highlights of the institution's graduation later this month.

The Consumer Federation of Kenya (COFEK) has filed a petition at the High Court questioning the university's intention to award the governor a Doctor of Humane Letters (Honoris Causa) at its 11th graduation ceremony, set for Friday, November 20, 2026.

In a statement issued on Saturday, COFEK Secretary General Stephen Mutoro said Justice Emily Ominde had certified the matter as urgent. "The High Court has just stepped in on a proposed honorary degree for a sitting Governor," he said.

Tight timelines

According to COFEK, the court directed that the petition be served on the respondents within three days, with the respondents given five days to file their responses. The lobby says the matter is due for mention on November 12, just eight days before the graduation.

The lobby's concerns

COFEK says it is not opposed to honouring leaders for genuine contributions. Its objection, it says, is about the timing, the selection process and the relationship between the university and the honouree.

  • It questions whether the award is an independent academic recognition or a benefit tied to Lusaka's position as the sitting governor of the county that hosts the university.
  • It wants the court to examine whether Kibabii followed Commission for University Education guidelines, which require an objective and fair process for selecting honorary degree recipients.

What the university says

In its notice announcing the award, Kibabii University said the honour is made under its 2015 Charter and its 2021 Statutes, and requires a recommendation from the University Senate and the consent of the University Council.

The Bungoma-based university cited Lusaka's contributions to public service, devolved governance, education, institutional development and environmental conservation. It credited him with supporting the institution's journey to a full charter in 2015 and the development of its Bachelor of Cooperative and Entrepreneurship Management programme.

Neither the university nor the governor had publicly responded to the petition by Sunday.

Not the first

Kibabii has awarded honorary doctorates before, including to National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula at its seventh graduation in 2023. Honorary degrees for serving politicians have increasingly drawn public criticism, and COFEK has previously gone to court over a disputed doctorate awarded to another politician by a different university.

The outcome of the case will determine whether the governor is capped as planned when graduands assemble at Kibabii on November 20.

Photos: Kibabii University/Facebook via Kenyans.co.ke (campus); Office of Governor Kenneth Lusaka via Kenyans.co.ke (Governor Lusaka). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.