The controversy surrounding the legality of academic papers of the Mombasa governor Ali Hassan Joho has taken a new twist.

Joho’s former Serani secondary school principal late Monday defended the embattled Governor over claims that he forged his KCSE result slip, and later used it to gain admission into the university.

In a press statement to the press, Principal Abbas Juma Ulaya said the governor was a bonafide student at the school.

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Mr Juma added that Joho was at the school between February 1990 and November 1993, having successfully sat his KCSE exams.

"Joho enrolled at the institution on 22/02/1990 under admission number 326," Mr Juma said.

He added: "He sat for his KCSE examination in November 1993 under index number 16032063."

"As an academic institution, we take matters of students status with utmost seriousness," the principal said.

He further said that they are open to further clarification with regards to the school's students.

Meanwhile, Joho is set to appear before the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Mombasa where allegations of forgery would be investigated.

After missing to honor the summon today, Joho has said that he will appear tomorrow Wednesday.

On Monday, the governor denied claims that he forged a KCSE certificate to get admission to the University of Nairobi.

The claim is that Joho presented a forged 1992 examination result slip with a C+ mean grade.

If Joho will be found culpable of forging the documents, then he is set to lose his Mombasa gubernatorial seat he holds, and be barred from contesting any political seat.

The controversy around Joho’s papers, however, have been questioned by the opposition side, owing to it that he been using the same papers to hold various public offices, including being an assistant minister.