I did not forge KCSE certificate, Joho tells police

Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho on Wednesday denied forging a Form Four certificate to gain admission to university and termed the claims political propaganda.

Mr Joho was interviewed for about two hours by detectives at the Coast Provincial Police Headquarters. He said the claims were falsehoods aimed at locking him out of the August 8 General Election.

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) deputy party leader also claimed that a charge sheet had been prepared to have him locked up at the police station on suspicion of forging the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) document showing he had obtained a C+ instead of the D- he actually scored.

“When I was at the Coast Provincial Police Headquarters, I realised that they had prepared a charge sheet for me,” said Mr Joho. “They had planned to take me into police custody but there were enough lawyers who were there for me, such as Mohamed Balala, James Orengo, Amason Kingi and others.”

The governor further told his supporters outside his office after the interrogation: “President Uhuru is using too much energy to frustrate me.

“I am telling him to convert that energy to reducing the price of maize flour, to fighting corruption and improving the lives of Kenyans.”

Coast chief detective Pius Macharia could not be reached for comment as calls to his phone went unanswered.

ORENGO PLEDGED SOLIDARITY

Senator Orengo (Siaya, ODM) pledged solidarity with the governor, saying: “We will do everything possible to ensure that no one dares touch him. “We went in there and saw propaganda and lies. We will win this case.”

Mr Orengo claimed that there were more than 200 leaders with questionable certificates, some of whom were contesting for the governorship or are already in office.

Mr Kingi, the Kilifi governor, also from the ODM, said the forgery claim was “a political case” orchestrated to intimidate Mr Joho and ODM.

Mr Joho arrived at the DCI headquarters at 10:45 am after walking from his office accompanied by his supporters. He came out from the police station at 12:40pm and was received by jubilant supporters.

On Tuesday, Mr Joho admitted to have scored a D- in his KCSE examinations, which he said he sat at Sereni Secondary School, Mombasa, in 1993.

He said he was proud that he had turned his low grade into success and asked Kenyans to encourage those who do not score well in exams to emulate his achievements.

A document in which the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) confirmed the result has been widely circulated.

The governor has since linked President Kenyatta to his tribulations.

VERIFY CERTIFICATES

At the same time, Education Permanent Secretary Belio Kipsang denied that the government was targeting Mr Joho and other opposition politicians in its war against holders of “fake” education certificates.

Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of the Kenya National Commission for Unesco at Mombasa Continental Resort, Dr Kipsang said: “It is not our job to harass anyone.
“We are only assisting the electoral commission. Why would you target anyone? What for?”

He said the electoral commission had set up a team to verify certificates presented by political aspirants and that his ministry was part of it.

Mombasa gubernatorial aspirant Suleiman Shahbal, of Jubilee Party, asked Mr Joho to carry his own cross and stop dragging President Kenyatta into his woes.

“He should not blame the government or President Kenyatta; it is not the President who told him to score a D-,” said Mr Shahbal. “He must explain how he was able to join the university with a D- and stop the gimmicks he is playing.

“The message we want to send to Kenyan children is that they should work hard in school but the message being sent here by the governor is that even if somebody does not work hard they can forge their academic papers and prosper.”

ODM Members of Parliament Yusuf Chanzu (Vihiga), Geoffrey Odanga (Matayos) and Silverse Lisamula (Shinyalu) said they will take up the matter in the National Assembly for debate. They told the President to leave Mr Joho alone and concentrate on fighting corruption.

Reported by Daniel Nyassy, Mohamed Ahmed, Winnie Atieno and Faith Nyamai