Raila Featured On 100 Most Notable Alumni of Leipzig University

Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance presidential candidate Raila Odinga has been listed as one of the most distinguished alumni of the University of Leipzig in Germany.

Mr Odinga’s name is featured as number 41 on a list of top-flight personalities.

He is listed alongside Angela Merkel, Germany’s immediate former chancellor, and well-known philosopher Fredric Nietzsche.

Odinga was described as a politician, university professor, and businessperson in the university’s biography before listing his political career, which included serving as Kenya’s Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013, leader of the opposition in Kenya since 2013, and ministries he served in, including Minister for Energy, Roads, Public Works, and Housing.

Read: DP Ruto Challenges Raila To Produce Academic Certificates

“Odinga was appointed High Representative for Infrastructure Development at the African Union Commission in 2018,” the biography reads.

Records show that the former prime minister earned a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and Welding at the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, where he enrolled in 1965 and graduated in 1970.

This was after leaving the Leipzig university’s faculty of philosophy.

The Diploma was the standard degree in former East Germany for all subjects.

Read Also: Sakaja’s Gubernatorial Bid in Limbo As CUE Revokes Team University Degree

Mr Odinga shared a photo of himself with a man he identified as his former supervisor at the Otto Von Guericke University Madgeburg’s mechanical engineering lab on Twitter on August 28, 2018.

“I visited my Alma Mater the Otto Von Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany following an invitation from my former colleagues who presented me with a book on the history of the school. I also met my former supervisor Prof. Adolf Neubaue at the Mechanical Engineering lab,” he posted.

On Thursday, DP William Ruto challenged Odinga to publicize his academic credentials.

This the Kenya Kwanza Alliance presidential candidate said as he defended Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja who could be locked out of the gubernatorial race over a degree certificate.

Read Also: Sakaja Dismisses Claims That He Is Not a Teams University Graduate

According to the DP, the “deep state” was out to punish Sakaja who he said has all the requisite documents allowing him to run for the governor seat.

“Stop the pretence! Let IEBC perform its mandate. Sakaja will be on the ballot,” said Dr Ruto said while campaigning in Nyamira.

The DP urged the Jubilee government to leave the senator alone, arguing that he is a well-educated hustler who lives in the city and has all of his academic documents required to vie for the governorship.

“The deep state and system are making calls all over including the Uganda Statehouse wanting to stop Sakaja from being Nairobi Governor. I am telling you Jubilee leaders, leave alone Sakaja, he has enough certificates. If there is someone with questionable certificates, it is the Azimio Presidential candidate,” said Dr Ruto.

Read Also: IEBC Declines To Clear Sonko for Mombasa Governor Seat

“Where did he school, what, with who, who taught him? You cannot answer all that yet you are telling us he has a degree.”

Former Transport CAS Wavinya Ndeti is also likely to have her clearance certificate to contend for Machakos Governor revoked.

This was after a petitioner claimed that her Computer Science degree was fake. It is said she earned her Masters degree before the undergraduate degree.

She allegedly earned the Undergraduate degree in a record 10 months.

Umoja Summit party leader Walter Mong’are and Safina Party Leader Jimmy Wanjigi were also disqualified from the presidential race for lack of university degrees.