Hassan Joho: Yes, I scored a D- in KCSE but...

Cabinet Secretary nominee Hassan Joho on Sunday defended his academic credentials and qualifications to run Kenya’s mining and blue economy dockets.

Mr Joho, whose papers have been a subject of investigations and public discourse, told the National Assembly’s Committee on Appointments that he holds two university degrees and is pursuing a master’s at Havard Kennedy School of Government.

“It's common for people to have doubts about those from the Coast region, but we are just as qualified as any other Kenyan,” he said in response to questions from Suna East MP Junet Mohamed and Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah.

“Some of us come from poor backgrounds. I did not grow up in an environment that allowed me to prosper in terms of education”.

Unlike many Kenyans, he said, he started working before chasing books but added that, that does not mean he is a failure.

“I drew my inspiration from Prof Ali Mazrui. He did not succeed in his Cambridge examination to be admitted to the university for first degree… but he is one of the most renowned scholars,” he said.

“I want Kenyans to know that historical struggles are real. Someone should never imagine that if they come from a place of comfort, there will be a leveled playground for everyone.

Read: Hassan Joho's entry into President Ruto Cabinet sparks political tension in Coast

The Orange Democratic Movement deputy party leader admitted that he scored a D- in his Form Four exams but added that he had since "turned it around" and attained admirable academic, business and leadership successes. 

He took time to explain his academic journey after sitting the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) as he sought to clear the air on his qualifications. 

He said he wrote his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams at Tom Mboya Primary School in 1988. 

Due to fee challenges, he said he spent a year at home before joining Serani Secondary School.

In 1993, he completed his secondary education attaining a mean grade of D- (minus) before enrolling for a certificate course at Kampala University.

“I did a bridging course to enable me to join university. I did a diploma in 2007 which enabled me to join Kampala University and eventually graduated in 2013,” he said.

In 2008, he said, he graduated with a certificate in business administration that allowed him to enroll for a diploma course in human resource management at the same university.

In 2009, he said he satisfied the requirements prescribed by the institution’s Senate for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Business Administration.

After Kampala, the former Transport assistant minister in Mwai Kibaki government said he went for another degree at Gretsa University in Thika.

The former Mombasa governor said it was after the Gretsa course that he signed for the master’s programme at Havard where he is studying public leadership.

“It is a pathway to attain a mid-career master’s degree in public administration,” he told the committee led by House Speaker Moses Wetang’ula.

Amid a flurry of questions from the panel, the nominee told the committee that he was not surprised that the question on his papers would come up.

“It comes up every time there is an opportunity for me to do something…it started when I was running for the MP in 2007, a big conversation and even said my kindergarten certification was fake, but we succeeded,” he said.

Mr Joho joined active politics in 2004 and went on to become the Kisauni party chairman for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) between 2006 and 2007.

He served as Kisauni MP for five years after winning the 2007 elections on ODM party.

In 2013, he became Mombasa governor, a seat he held until 2022 after successfully defending it in the 2017 polls.

He is one of the four opposition leaders who are set to join President William Ruto’s Cabinet and broad-based government if approved by MPs.

The others are John Mbadi (Treasury), Opiyo Wandayi (Energy) and Wycliffe Oparanya (Cooperatives).