IUIU academic registrar Dr Halima on the spot over fake degree scandal

The academic registrar of Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU), Dr Halima Wakabi Akbar has been implicated in a phoney degree scandal that has rocked the institution.

According to sources, the issue stems from the graduation about two years ago, during which some unqualified individuals were irregularly included on the list of graduates, a matter later uncovered by the university management.

“IUIU academic registrar is on the spot for issuing fake degrees to some people. The scandal so far involves two people,” the source noted.

Available information indicates that one of the individuals alleged to have benefited from the irregularity is a government official currently serving in Mbale. Rehema Katono, public relations officer of the university, confirmed that an investigation was launched into a suspected degree fraud scandal after the allegations emerged.

She explained that the university rector established an academic affairs committee to probe the issue, and the committee’s findings later implicated the academic registrar.

“One of the committee’s key recommendations was that the academic registrar vacate the office. The rector has since written a letter to that effect. However, a top-level management meeting of the executive board is scheduled for Thursday this week to determine the next course of action,” Katono said.

Katono further stated that the registrar has been temporarily transferred from her position, with discussions underway about redeploying her to the institutional planning department.

However, this move still requires approval by the appointments committee, which has yet to convene.

“Most of the issues will be clarified after the upcoming management and executive board meetings. A formal statement will be issued following those deliberations,” Katono stated.

Regarding the two students alleged to have received degrees irregularly, Katono noted that, although there has been speculation about the revocation of their degrees, no final decision has been made.

“The individuals are expected to be given a fair hearing before any conclusive action is taken,” she added.

Dr Wakabi made history as the first female to serve as IUIU’s academic registrar. She also previously served as director of the IUIU female campus in Kabojja from 2009. During her tenure, she is credited with spearheading several reforms and improving academic services at the campus.

Despite the gravity of the allegations, some university staff members have voiced concerns that the situation may be rooted in an internal power struggle or a targeted witch hunt against the registrar.

These claims remain unverified, as most sources have declined to speak on the record. URN made several attempts to contact the implicated individuals. However, the registrar had not returned repeated calls by the time of publication, while one of the graduates involved had initially agreed to an interview but had not followed through.

Meanwhile, degree fraud scandals are not new to Uganda’s universities. Many institutions have, at one time or another, been rocked by such controversies. These often involve unqualified individuals being included on graduation lists, ranging from people who never attended the university to students who failed to meet academic requirements but still appear as graduates.

For example, Makerere University faced a major scandal in 2015 when over 600 students were suspected of graduating with altered exam results despite failing their courses.

Similarly, in 2022, Kyambogo University was embroiled in an attempt to manipulate student marks via the student portal, with assistance from some university officials.

Discrepancies were uncovered during a thorough review by department heads when the original paper records did not match the online data. This led to the removal of the affected students from the graduation list and the arrest of implicated staff members from the university’s ICT department.