They wear robes, pose for photos, and demand to be called “Doctor”—but the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) says, enough is enough!
Kampala — The NCHE has come out guns blazing against a growing trend of Ugandans flaunting honorary doctorates like real academic credentials. In a sizzling statement released this week, the Council has firmly declared: “An honorary degree is not a PhD!”
According to the watchdog, these honorary degrees—often awarded for public service or societal contributions—have been shamelessly paraded as if they were earned in lecture halls and labs. And worse still, some holders have been using the title “Doctor” to score jobs, public speaking gigs, and influence, duping the unsuspecting public along the way.
“Stop the masquerade!” the NCHE demands, warning all recipients to clearly indicate that their awards are honorary, using formats like LLD (Hon. Causa) or DSc (Hon. Causa)—not the misleading “Dr.” or, heaven forbid, the academic-sounding “PhD.”
Sources say some Ugandans have even bought these degrees from dubious foreign institutions and waltzed back into the country with new names and new business cards—Dr. So-and-So, now available for seminars and endorsements.
But the Council is not amused.
“These titles cannot be used for academic, professional or work-related purposes,” the statement stresses, adding that both local and foreign honorary degree holders must comply or risk public embarrassment.
Professor Joy C. Kwesiga, Chairperson of NCHE, delivered the final blow: “Members of the public, academia, and media should not address honorary recipients as ‘Doctor’—not orally, not in writing.”
So to all the self-proclaimed Drs. without dissertations—the party’s over.
The NCHE wants Ugandans to stay woke: if someone introduces themselves as “Dr.”, don’t be afraid to ask—did you earn it, or was it just for show?
