- Didmus Barasa responds to renewed questions over his academic history
- The MP addresses scrutiny surrounding his educational credentials
- Barasa challenges critics to turn their focus to another issue
Kimilili MP Didmus Wekesa Barasa has responded to Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) Secretary-General Stephen Mutoro and others questioning his academic journey, following renewed scrutiny of his educational credentials.
In a statement, Barasa announced that he was now “the new doctor in town” after graduating with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Public Administration from Murang’a University of Technology.
Barasa’s doctoral research focused on county governments’ branding strategies and their relationship with service-delivery satisfaction among small and medium-sized enterprises, using Bungoma County as the case study.
Addressing the debate over how his name should be styled, Barasa said his preferred academic designation was either “Didmus Wekesa Barasa, PhD” or “Dr Didmus Barasa”, arguing that using both “Dr” and “PhD” was unnecessary.
The MP said his doctoral research was motivated by what he described as a significant research gap concerning Bungoma County’s socio-economic challenges.
“A PhD is not merely the title of an academic programme; it is the scholarly response to an identified research gap,” Barasa said, adding that he had spent time conducting research while his critics were engaged in what he termed “idle gossip and political yapping.”
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His remarks come amid renewed questions about his academic history. On September 14, 2026, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) told COFEK that Barasa was not enrolled at the institution and that it had not awarded him a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering in May 2008. The university said his name did not appear in its records and disputed the authenticity of the certificate in question.
Mutoro had previously called for investigations into Barasa’s academic credentials, including verification by the Commission for University Education and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
In his latest response, Barasa turned his attention to political party registration. He challenged Mutoro and his associates to investigate why Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya’s TAWE movement does not have a registered political party, citing politicians including Caleb Hamisi, Ndindi Nyoro, and Babu Owino as examples of leaders associated with political parties.
Barasa described the issue as a “research gap” and challenged his critics to pursue it as an academic subject.
“Over to you,” he concluded.
