Deputy Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli has moved to court against United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) over delays in the completion of his PhD academic process, just days before the university’s September graduation ceremony.
Masengeli, the Deputy Inspector General in charge of the Administration Police Service, says he enrolled at USIU-Africa in September 2021 to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
According to his court documents, the programme was scheduled to run for five years, with his cohort expected to complete their studies and graduate in September 2026.
Masengeli says he submitted his dissertation proposal for defence in December 2025, made the required corrections, obtained approval from the relevant Institutional Review Board and subsequently completed his fieldwork.
He states that he submitted his first dissertation draft on June 11, 2026, and continued making corrections following feedback from his supervisors. By August 31, he says, examination reports from both the internal and external examiners had been received by the university.
However, Masengeli claims he was not informed of the outcome of the examination or given clear directions on the remaining steps required to complete his PhD.
With graduation approaching, he issued a formal demand to USIU-Africa on August 25 seeking clarity on the status of his academic process.
The university responded on September 3, referring to “mandatory requirements” and “pending next steps” and informing him that the matter had been referred to the Associate Dean of the School of Graduate Studies for immediate attention.
Masengeli argues that the university did not specify the outstanding requirements, communicate the outcome of his dissertation examination or provide a definite timeline for completing the process.
He has now turned to the court, saying USIU-Africa’s graduation ceremony is scheduled for September 26, 2026, and that proceeding with the ceremony before his dispute is determined could irreversibly prejudice his position in the September graduation cycle.
Masengeli stresses that he is not asking the court to award him a PhD or determine the academic merits of his dissertation.
Instead, he wants the court to intervene over what he describes as an unresolved administrative process and determine whether USIU-Africa has lawfully and fairly handled his academic and examination process.
He is seeking urgent conservatory orders to preserve his position pending determination of the dispute.
