Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi cleared to defend seat amid academic forgery claims

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries commission (IEBC) has cleared Kapseret Member of Parliament Oscar Sudi to defend his seat.

Sudi who was cleared on May 30^th did not appear physically but sent a representative since he is allegedly out of the country.

Kapseret returning officer Mildred Wachie said the lawmaker had met all the requirements to run for office.

“He was not here in person. He wrote a letter signed by his lawyer that he is outside the country. And according to the law, you can send a representative, we checked all his documents according to the law, verified and confirmed that they are correct before we cleared him. Accordingly, he is now a candidate and he can start to campaign,” said Wachie.

Sudi’s clearance comes amid claims he has fake academic papers. Former Highway Secondary School principal Patrick Maritim testified in court that Sudi was in the class that wrote the Kenya Certificate of Education (KCSE) in 2006.

Oscar Sudi Pulse Live Kenya

“I can confirm that I went through the records of admission from the year he said he was at the school and that the name of Oscar Kipchumba Sudi was not appearing anywhere. Even the index number on the KCSE certificate belonged to another student,” said Maritim.

In October 2020, the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) principal examination secretary Nabiki Ene Kashu testified before the court where he said the certificate the law maker held is fake.

Recently Kakamega senator Cleophas Malala was forced to share copies of his academic certificates to proof he had the requisite academic qualifications to run for the Kakamega county gubernatorial seat.

The senator however grappled to tell the exact date he was admitted to university and his graduation date.

Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala Pulse Live Kenya

While the degree certificate reads 2019, the senator maintains that he graduated in 2010 or 2011 but could not remember the exact date.

"The degree reads 2019 since it's the date I collected it, but my graduation had been around 2010 or 2011. I do not remember the date but I know it was a clan affair and that is where I announced my intention to vie for the MCA seat. The problem with you journalists is that you have not graduated so these things may be difficult to follow." Malala said in an interview with a local station.