Masengeli, who enrolled at United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) in September 2021 for a PhD in International Relations, filed a petition seeking orders to compel the university to include him in the graduation list for the ceremony scheduled for 26 September 2026. He argued that he had completed coursework, submitted his dissertation materials after addressing feedback, and that the university’s handling of the process had delayed his progress.
In response, the university stated that Masengeli has not yet defended his dissertation before the required panel of internal and external examiners. The earliest available defence date is 6 October 2026, after the September graduation. USIU-Africa maintained that he has not met all mandatory requirements for the award of the degree and that he is subject to the same academic rules as other students, with no special treatment. The university’s Senate had also determined that he had not satisfied the conditions for inclusion in the September cohort.
On 16 September 2026, the High Court (Justice Patricia Mande) declined Masengeli’s application for conservatory orders to stop the graduation ceremony or to force his inclusion on the list. The court noted that suspending the event would affect other students who are not parties to the case, and that there was no specific commitment by the university guaranteeing his graduation with that cohort. The main petition continues, with further directions issued for the parties to file additional documents, and the matter is scheduled to return to court later.