Deputy Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli has moved to the High Court seeking orders compelling United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) to release his doctoral dissertation results and include his name in the university's upcoming graduation list.
Masengeli, who is pursuing a PhD in International Relations, says uncertainty over the status of his dissertation has put his chances of graduating this month at risk. "Unless the respondent is compelled to release the petitioner's dissertation results and progress the petitioner's academic process, the petitioner faces real and imminent risk of being excluded from consideration for the forthcoming graduation through no failure or omission on his part," argues Masengeli's lawyer.
The senior police officer enrolled for the doctoral programme in International Relations at USIU-Africa in September 2021. According to court documents, Masengeli defended his dissertation proposal in December 2025 and later made the amendments required by the university, before obtaining approval from the Institutional Review Board and proceeding with his research. He submitted his first dissertation draft on June 11, 2026, through his lawyer Cecil Miller, before making further changes based on comments from his supervisors.
Masengeli says that by August 31, reports from both the internal and external examiners had been submitted to the university. However, he claims he was not informed of the outcome of the examination or given a clear indication of what remained before he could complete the doctoral process. "The respondent's conduct has consequently subjected the petitioner to continuity uncertainty regarding the status of his academic progression at a stage when the dissertation has already proceeded through examination and the remaining process ought at the very least to be capable of being clearly identified and communicated," read the court papers.
Masengeli had written to the university on August 25 seeking clarification on the status of his studies. USIU-Africa responded on September 3, saying there were mandatory requirements and pending steps that still needed to be addressed, adding that the matter had been forwarded to the Associate Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. Masengeli argues that the response did not identify the specific outstanding requirements or reveal the outcome of his dissertation examination.
He has now asked the court to protect his place in the September graduation cycle as the dispute is determined. The Deputy Inspector General says he is not asking the court to assess the quality of his research or award him a PhD; instead, he wants the university to clarify and complete the administrative and examination processes relating to his doctoral studies.
The case was placed before Justice David Mburu on September 9. The court certified the matter as urgent and allowed it to be heard during the court recess. Justice Mburu directed that the application, petition and accompanying documents be served on USIU-Africa by close of business that day, with proof of service filed thereafter. The university was given three days from the date of service to respond.
By Lizzy Aluga
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