Minister Nankabirwa pressured to drop ‘Doctor’ title 

• Nicholas Opiyo accused Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa of using the title “Dr” on official documents without holding an earned PhD.

• He cited NCHE guidelines, which say honorary doctorates should not be used for academic, professional or work-related titles.

• Nankabirwa posted certificates from Commonwealth University and London Graduate School, but later deleted the post.

Energy and Mineral Development Minister Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu has come under pressure to stop using the title “Dr” on official government documents.

The minister faced queries from members  of the public led by activist Nicholas Opiyo who questioned whether her credentials qualify her to use it in professional or public office settings.

Opiyo accused the minister of signing official documents with the title despite, in his view, not holding an earned PhD.

“On many occasions, you have signed official government documents with the title ‘Dr’. We know you have not studied for a PhD,” Opiyo wrote.

He said her known qualifications include teaching fine arts and a master’s degree in peace and conflict studies, and argued that the use of “Dr” could amount to misrepresentation.

Opiyo based his criticism on guidelines issued by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) on the conferment and use of honorary doctorates in Uganda.

The NCHE guidance states that an honorary award, also known as Honoris Causa, is not an academic award and cannot be used for academic, professional or work-related purposes.

The same guidance further says the public, academia and media should not address the recipient of an honorary degree orally or in writing as “Doctor.”

“We beseech you to cease and desist from such misrepresentation and to follow the guidelines issued by the government agency responsible for education standards,” he said.

Nankabirwa responded by posting what she described as proof of her qualifications. The certificates included a Doctor of Public Administration marked Honoris Causa from Commonwealth University and a Master Class Certificate in Business Management and Leadership from London Graduate School.

She also warned Opiyo against making claims without full context.

“Public debate is healthiest when guided by responsibility, verification and respect,” she wrote.

However, the post was later deleted after Opiyo responded, saying the documents only reinforced his argument.

“You actually make my point — that you have no PhD qualification. An honorary doctorate does not qualify you to sign government documents as a Dr,” he said.

Opiyo also questioned the credibility of the institutions behind the certificates, especially London Graduate School, which he said had previously emailed him offering a nomination for an honorary doctorate.

He shared screenshots of a 2019 email inviting him to a Dubai leadership summit and nomination for an honorary doctorate degree, with a listed workshop fee of $5,500.

“The schools whose documents you share here are dubious schools that have issued such documents to many people here,” Opiyo wrote.

He argued that master class certificates are not equivalent to master’s degrees and that honorary doctorates should not be presented as earned academic qualifications.

“We have taken this initiative to keep our people a little honest and to protect the prestige of knowledge production and respect for those who put in the hard labour of PhD study,” he said.

By the time of publication, Nankabirwa had not issued a further public clarification after deleting her response.