Deputy Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli has asked the High Court to halt the September 26 graduation ceremony at United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa), pending determination of a dispute over his doctoral studies. Masengeli, through his lawyers Cecil Miller and Danstan Omari, is seeking conservatory orders to protect his participation in the ceremony while the court considers his case against the university. The dispute concerns Masengeli’s PhD in International Relations, which he says he has progressed through after completing his coursework, examinations and dissertation requirements. USIU-Africa’s 48th Commencement is scheduled for Saturday, September 26, 2026. The university says only students who have completed all degree requirements will be allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony.

Masengeli enrolled at USIU-Africa in September 2021 for a five-year doctoral programme, according to his court petition. He says his coursework and examinations were completed and approved by the university’s Board of Examiners in August 2023, after which he proceeded to the dissertation stage. According to his petition, he submitted his first dissertation draft on June 11, 2026, addressed feedback from his supervisor and submitted a second draft on July 14. Masengeli says that by August 31, he had established that both the internal and external examiners had submitted their reports. He argues, however, that the results had not been communicated to him and that he had not been told clearly what outstanding requirements remained. He subsequently sought clarification from the university. According to his court papers, USIU-Africa responded on September 3 saying there were mandatory requirements and pending steps in his academic process and that the matter had been referred to the Associate Dean of the School of Graduate Studies.

Masengeli disputes that position, maintaining that he had complied with the requirements communicated to him. He argues that the uncertainty over his academic status could prevent him from appearing on the September graduation list. He has asked the court to declare that he has satisfactorily completed the requirements for conferment of his PhD and to order his inclusion in the September 26 graduation list. Masengeli has also alleged that the university’s handling of his academic process violated his right to fair administrative action under Article 47 of the Constitution.

Masengeli has stressed that he is not asking the court to assess the academic quality of his dissertation or award him a doctorate in place of the university. Instead, he wants the court to intervene over what he describes as delays in processing his dissertation and communicating the examination outcome.  The university has opposed the application and disputes Masengeli’s eligibility for the September graduation. USIU-Africa’s position, as reported in the proceedings, is that Masengeli has not fulfilled all the academic requirements necessary for inclusion in the graduation list. The university has also raised concern that halting the entire ceremony would affect other students who are not parties to the dispute. The university’s published graduation information separately states that only students who have completed their degree requirements may participate in the ceremony.

The matter was certified as urgent by Justice David Mburu on September 9, allowing it to proceed during the court recess. USIU-Africa was directed to respond to the petition. The case has since come before Justice Patricia Nyaundi, with Masengeli’s lawyers seeking interim orders before the September 26 graduation date. The court will therefore have to consider whether there are grounds for interim intervention while the substantive dispute over Masengeli’s academic status is determined. For now, Masengeli’s participation in the September 26 USIU-Africa graduation remains unresolved, with the Deputy Inspector General seeking court protection and the university maintaining that he has not met the requirements for inclusion in the ceremony.