Deputy Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli has rushed to court seeking to stop United States International University Africa (USIU) from holding its upcoming graduation ceremony unless his name is included in the list of PhD graduates set to be conferred degrees later this month.
In court documents that have since come to light, Masengeli argues that he has fulfilled the requirements of his doctoral programme and should rightfully be among those graduating, but fears he will be left off the final list through no fault of his own.
“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,” his lawyer argued in the petition.
Masengeli enrolled at USIU Africa in September 2021 to pursue a PhD in International Relations, embarking on what has been a four-year academic journey alongside one of the most turbulent and controversial periods of his policing career. In his petition, he outlines the various milestones he has completed along the doctoral path, saying he presented his dissertation proposal for defence in December last year before making the amendments required by the university. He subsequently obtained approval from the Institutional Review Board and proceeded with his research in line with the university’s requirements.
According to Masengeli, through his lawyer Cecil Miller, he submitted his first full dissertation draft on June 11th, 2026, and made further amendments after receiving feedback and comments from his supervisors. He now says he has been left in a state of uncertainty regarding the status of his dissertation examination and what, if anything, remains outstanding before he can be cleared to graduate.
The senior police officer is essentially asking the court to compel USIU Africa to provide clarity on his academic standing and ensure he is not shut out of a graduation he believes he has earned the right to attend.
It is a remarkable legal battle: a Deputy Inspector General of Police taking a university to court over a PhD, and it has captured public attention not just for its unusual nature but for the contrast it presents with the image of a man better known for his role in some of the most contentious policing operations in recent Kenyan history.
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