High Court rejects Masengeli's bid to halt USIU-Africa graduation

The High Court has dismissed an application by Deputy Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli seeking to either halt a graduation ceremony at United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) or compel the institution to include him in the upcoming event.

Masengeli, who has been pursuing a PhD in International Relations since September 2021, argued that he had completed the necessary academic stages, including defending his research proposal and obtaining Institutional Review Board approval. He sought court intervention to force the university to release his dissertation results and finalize his academic process to ensure his inclusion in the graduation scheduled for late September.

Justice Patricia Mande declined the request for conservatory orders to stop the ceremony, ruling that halting the event would unfairly impact other students not involved in the legal dispute. The judge also rejected the request to mandate his inclusion on the graduation list, stating that evidence provided via email correspondence did not establish a binding institutional promise or a legitimate expectation that he would graduate with the current cohort.