KIM Rector accused of forgery

A former lecturer at Kigali Institute of Management (KIM) has accused the Rector of forgery. Deodus Songa Musimbi, a former lecturer at KIM in the faculty of economics who was recently fired, accused Dr. Tshinema Kabongo Jean Marie Vianney of having forged academic papers from several universities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). According to Musimbi, Kabongo was sacked from two universities in DRC. “He was at first terminated from lecturing at Bukavu Catholic University, and later at Evangelical University of Central Africa,” Musimbi said. The Congolese Rector was last year reportedly sacked from the Kigali Independent University (ULK) for awarding extra marks to a female student. The Rector, who claims to hold a PHD in economics, has been presenting these papers to teach in different Rwandan academic institutions including KIM. Musimbi, who approached Sunday Times on Thursday, said that Kabongo befriended him when he arrived at KIM. “He pulled me closer because he knew I was hiding his false secrets. But I could not accept hiding this,” said Musimbi. “He has been using me as his personal secretary and when I requested him to increase on my salary, he sacked me,” narrated Musimbi in an interview at the Sunday Times offices in Kimihurura. The sacked lecturer has petitioned the police through the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate. When contacted on Thursday, the acting Director of CID, Tony Kuramba, said the police would act rapidly when all evidence is submitted. “Forgery is a crime that is punished by the law,” he said in a telephone interview. Musimbi, who is also Congolese, reported that about fifty percent of the Congolese employees working in the country have forged papers. When contacted on Thursday, the Kigali Institute of Management’s legal representative said he was aware of the matter and the files were being compiled on the Rector. “I heard about this case but we are still carrying investigations before taking actions,” he said in a telephone interview. Rutaremara added that KIM management was trying to contact the rector’s former school to scruitinise whether the alleged forgery is true. “He presented his papers to us and they were notified, so we are in touch with his former schools to get to the bottom of the matter,” Rutaremara said by phone. Kabongo was unavailable for a comment. The Kigali Institute of Management (KIM) located in Kicukiro District, started in 2006 and is licensed by the Ministry of Education. Ends