Deputy Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli has moved to the High Court in a dispute with United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) over the processing of his doctoral dissertation, days before the institution’s scheduled graduation ceremony.
Masengeli says he has completed the required coursework and progressed to the dissertation stage but is yet to receive clarity on his examination results or whether he will be included in the September graduation cycle.
Masengeli’s Academic Journey at USIU
Masengeli joined USIU-Africa in September 2021 to study a Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations under the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
According to his petition, the program was structured to run for five years, making September 2026 his expected completion and graduation period.
Masengeli told the court that he completed his coursework and examinations, with the university board approving his results in August 2023, and that he progressed to the dissertation stage of the program.
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The university assigned him a supervisor on July 18, 2024, and he submitted the proposal on May 30, 2025.
Masengeli proceeded with his research fieldwork, which he said he completed within two weeks.
In December 2025, he defended his proposal and made the required corrections. The Institutional Review Board approved it.
Masengeli submitted his second dissertation draft on July 14, 2026. His internal supervisor acknowledged receipt of the document two days later and indicated that it would be reviewed.
Masengeli later followed up on the progress of his dissertation and, according to his petition, was informed that the university had received the results from the two examiners.
He claims, however, that the results had not been released to him, leaving him unable to proceed to the next stage of the doctoral process.
The Deputy Inspector General argues that the delay has left him uncertain about the status of his doctoral studies despite having completed the required stages of the program.
Why Masengeli Wants Graduation Halted
Masengeli has asked the High Court to intervene ahead of the institution’s graduation ceremony scheduled for September 26, 2026.
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He says the university’s final graduation list was expected by September 11, leaving limited time to resolve the issues before the ceremony.
He is therefore seeking orders to stop the graduation from proceeding until the court hears and determines his petition.
Masengeli says he is not asking the court to award him a PhD or determine the academic merits of his dissertation. Instead, his case centers on what he describes as delays in the processing of his examination results and the progression of his doctoral program.
He argues that allowing the graduation ceremony to proceed before the dispute is resolved could effectively exclude him from the September 2026 graduation cycle.
The case was filed before High Court Judge David Mburu, with proceedings scheduled to be mentioned before Justice Patricia Nyaundi.
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