NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 22 – Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha is now calling for the inspection of degree academic qualifications for all Kenyans following complaints of fake degree certificates.
Magoha who was speaking during a school inspection tour in Migori stated that should he be given the mandate, he would ensure that matter is looked into to avert shortcuts in gaining academic qualifications.
“What’s is the problem, in fact I don’t have powers but if I had the powers, I would say that because of all this noise everybody’s degree should now be checked,” he said.
“So that we check if there is a problem because it is becoming a big issue. You can’t have a degree in six months or two years. The minimum is prescribed according to hours and units,” Magoha said.
The Education Boss further pointed out that the verification of academic qualifications should not be politicised arguing that is not a matter to be decided by the courts.
Magoha asserted that the issue of academic credentials verification should be only done by the Commission for University Education (CUE).
“This noise you are hearing is political and not professional at all. It is important to allow CUE to do its work. Unfortunately, when it comes to IEBC and they say you can’t go, then it becomes an issue. Remove politics from it “he said.
His statement comes in the midst of a tussle between United Democratic Alliance (UDA) gubernatorial candidate Johnson Sakaja and CUE over the authenticity of his academic qualifications.
Meanwhile, Magoha assured that the government is looking into the preparedness of private schools to roll out the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) education in junior secondary school.
He maintained that there is no crisis in terms of transition to junior secondary school due to lack of infrastructure.
“There is so much toxic opinion, we are serving our children without prejudice. We shall continue to look at private schools and encourage them,” he said. By Irene Mwangi, Capital News
East African Community (EAC) leaders on Monday ratified the formation of a regional military force whose mandate is to secure peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Presidents Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Evariste Ndayishimiye (Burundi), Salva Kiir Mayardit (South Sudan) and Felix Tshisekedi (Democratic Republic of Congo) made the decision at State House in Nairobi with instructions to the force to deploy immediately.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania was represented at the meeting by the country's ambassador to Kenya, High Commissioner John Stephen Simbachawene.
“The Heads of State accepted and adopted the concept of operation, Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), Rules of Engagement (ROE) and other legal and technical regulations to facilitate the operationalization of the Regional Force and its various operational arms,” a communique issued after the meeting by the presidency in Kenya read in part.
The communique detailed that the regional force will be deployed particularly in the North and South Kivu areas of the DRC as well as in Ituri province, which are in urgent need of peace and stability.
Also in attendance at the meeting were the chiefs of defense forces of all seven countries of the East African Community Partner States.
The heads of state instructed that the regional force should work in cooperation with the military and administrative forces of the DRC and also cooperate in the implementation of the disarmament and demobilization process.
They also called for an immediate cease-fire and cessation of hostilities in the volatile areas of the DRC, including the withdrawal of forces from recently taken positions.
“In doing so, the political process should be intensified by all parties in order to allow the citizens of the DRC to feel safe and secure and be able to pick up and continue their respective social, cultural and economic activities,” the dispatch stated.
Tshisekedi and Kagame met for the first time in Nairobi on Monday since Kinshasa accused Kigali of supporting the M23 rebels, who are wreaking havoc in eastern DRC. Rwanda has denied any support for the rebels.
The security situation in the DRC has led to a humanitarian crisis, forcing aid workers to suspend humanitarian activities due to insecurity.
The DRC has been plagued by violence for decades as several rebel groups fight against each other or against the country’s military and UN forces for territorial control.
According to the UN, exploitation of natural resources continues to be a root cause and driver of conflict, with most armed groups having set aside their political demands and becoming involved in mineral trafficking.
More than 5 million people have been uprooted by insecurity and violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the last two years, with nearly 2 million displaced in North Kivu province alone, according to UN estimates. - Andrew Wasike, Anadolu Agency
Residents have been left in shock after a troop of monkeys snatched a breastfeeding infant from his mother in Mwamgongo village in Kigoma, northeastern Tanzania.
The village borders Gombe National Park.The mother was breastfeeding her one-month-old baby outside her house on Saturday afternoon when the monkeys invaded her home, snatched the baby boy and attempted to run away with him.
“She screamed for help and villagers rushed to her house to assist her in getting her child…back from the troop of monkeys,” Kigoma Regional Police Commander James Manyama told The Citizen on Monday.
The villagers attempted to rescue the baby and eventually had to use force to get him back. “He got injured on the head and the neck,” Mr Manyama said.
The baby was then rushed to a nearby hospital but died while receiving treatment. By The Citizen
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