Forgery Claims Hit NRM Kioga Candidate as Nairobi University Denies Issuing His Papers

The University of Nairobi in Kenya has reportedly disowned two academic documents submitted by Felix Adupa Ongwec—the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag-bearer for Kioga County in Amolatar District for his nomination before the Electoral Commission, saying the papers are forged.

The disputed documents include a Bachelor of Commerce (Business Administration) degree allegedly obtained in 2020 and a Diploma in Information Communication Technology purportedly acquired in 2014.

In a brief letter dated November 4, Acting Academic Registrar Peter M. Mbuthia stated:

“This is to state that the two certificates were not issued by the University of Nairobi and are therefore not genuine.”

The clarification followed a petition filed by Col. Dr. Francis Ongia through his lawyers challenging the validity of Adupa Ongwec’s nomination as a parliamentary candidate for Kioga Constituency. Ongia’s legal team “GDE Advocates” said they conducted due diligence to verify whether Adupa had indeed been awarded the degree and diploma he presented for nomination.

“From the verification, it is evident that the award was forged,” the law firm said in a letter copied to the NRM Secretary General.

The lawyers also sought confirmation from Bombo Secondary School to establish whether Adupa sat for the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) examinations as claimed. According to the petition, Adupa alleged he sat for UACE in 2010 under Index Number U0336/524; however, verification with the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) revealed that the number belonged to Sanyu Celement, not Adupa.

“Our client also sought verification from Bombo to ascertain whether he studied there, but found that he was never a candidate at the school,” the petition reads.

The petitioners argue that Adupa does not meet the minimum formal education requirements of Advanced Level or its equivalent, which are mandatory for anyone seeking to become a Member of Parliament. They assert that his nomination was therefore irregular.

“In the circumstances, we humbly seek that Adupa, who was nominated as the NRM flag-bearer for Member of Parliament for Kioga Constituency in the 2025 elections, be disqualified and his nomination set aside or cancelled,” the petition states.

Adupa contested the NRM primaries alongside Ongia and Carlo Opul. Ongia polled 3,719 votes, Opul garnered 3,744 votes, while Adupa was declared the winner with 3,960 votes. The two challengers subsequently petitioned the NRM Elections Disputes Tribunal over the outcome of the primaries, citing alleged irregularities and concerns regarding Adupa’s eligibility.

However, through his counsel Joseph Angole, the Tribunal upheld the election, allowing Adupa to remain the NRM flag-bearer. Angole noted that some petitions lacked the requisite supporting affidavits, while supplementary grounds filed by Dr. Ongia were submitted outside the mandatory five-day window under Regulation 43 of the NRM Election Regulations (2025) without leave of the Tribunal