The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
Deputy Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli has moved to the High Court seeking orders requiring United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) to complete the processing of his doctoral studies and consider him for the university’s September graduation ceremony.
Masengeli is pursuing a PhD in International Relations and says uncertainty surrounding the examination of his dissertation has placed his academic progress at risk, despite completing the required stages of the programme.
In a petition filed through lawyer Cecil Miller, Masengeli says he joined USIU-Africa in September 2021 and has progressed through the various stages of his doctoral studies.
He states that he defended his dissertation proposal in December 2025 and later made the changes recommended by the university before obtaining approval from the Institutional Review Board and commencing his research.
According to his court documents, Masengeli submitted his initial dissertation draft on June 11, 2026, and subsequently made additional revisions based on comments from his supervisors.
He says reports from both the internal and external examiners had been submitted to the university by August 31.
However, Masengeli claims USIU-Africa has not informed him of the outcome of the examination or clearly indicated whether there are any outstanding requirements that he needs to fulfil before completing his studies.
He says he contacted the university on August 25 seeking clarification about his academic status.
The institution responded on September 3, informing him that certain mandatory requirements and pending procedures still needed to be completed. His case was also referred to the Associate Dean of the School of Graduate Studies.
Masengeli argues that the university’s response failed to identify the outstanding requirements or reveal the outcome of his dissertation examination.
With the September graduation ceremony approaching, he says the lack of clarity has created uncertainty over his academic progression.
He has therefore asked the court to intervene and safeguard his opportunity to be considered for graduation while the issues surrounding the processing of his PhD are addressed.
Masengeli argues that without a court order compelling the university to release his dissertation results and proceed with the remaining academic processes, he could miss the upcoming graduation despite having fulfilled his obligations.
He has clarified that he is not asking the court to evaluate his research or order USIU-Africa to award him a doctoral degree.
Instead, he wants the court to address what he considers a lack of transparency and clarity in the examination of his dissertation and the administrative procedures required to complete his programme.
Justice David Mburu certified the case as urgent when it came before him on September 9, allowing it to be heard during the court recess.
The judge directed Masengeli to serve USIU-Africa with the application, petition and related documents by the end of that day.
The university was subsequently given three days from the date of service to respond.
The case will now proceed as Masengeli seeks clarification on the status of his PhD examination and a chance to be included in the university’s September graduation process.
