A senior lecturer at the National University of Samoa (N.U.S.), who is being investigated by local authorities on the legitimacy of his qualifications, has also been questioned by the St. Francis University College of Health and Allied Sciences (S.F.U.C.H.A.S.) in East Africa, for a similar incident.

Dr. Embiruka Osborne Nyandiva, of Kenya, who is employed by the N.U.S. as a senior Lecturer in the School of Medicine, has been placed on leave pending an investigation by the Office of the Attorney General and the Medical Council of Samoa.

But the Samoa Observer has been alerted to a public notice issued by the St. Francis University College of Health and Allied Sciences (S.F.U.C.H.A.S.) in East Africa about Dr. Embiruka.

Posted on the school’s website on 15^th May 2019, the notice reads: “This is to inform the community of S.F.U.C.H.A.S. and the general public that Mr. Osborne Nyandiva (in the photo above) is no longer an employee of S.F.U.C.H.A.S. as from the date of this notice. Consequently, S.F.U.C.H.A.S. will not be responsible for his actions.”

When the Samoa Observer contacted Dr. Embiruka about the notice, he downplayed it saying it was merely to inform the public he no longer worked there.

“It's where I worked before coming to Samoa,” he said. “I never resigned in Tanzania when I left and I took sabbatical leave of six months. They expected me to be back by February which never occurred.”

Asked about the “actions” the notice referred to, Dr. Embiruka, explained it was a general reference to his involvement.

“The word action simply means engagements or activities. The message is that I am not eligible to tie myself as an employee of the organization.”

But the Administrator for the S.F.U.C.H.A.S., Musa C. Mgaya, told the Samoa Observer via email that Dr. Embiruka had a contract with their institution until 2020.

“He left our institution uninformed since September 2018, probably after he found out that we have discovered he presented to our office some forgery information including his academic certificates,” Mr. Mgaya told the Samoa Observer.

“When we tried to inquire on his whereabouts, his response was not convincing and yet he could not get back to work for nine months now.

“When we employed him, we submitted his certificates to the Board of Pathologists so as to ascertain his qualifications but it turned out that he was not real in his academic credentials.

“We later on discovered that he even forged his endorsement letter from the Tanzania Commission for University which has discretion to scrutinize foreign awards before someone can work in Tanzania.”

Mr. Mgaya claimed that Dr. Embiruka was observed to have no knowledge that is “relevant to imparting pathological knowledge and skill to University students.”

Earlier this week, N.U.S’s Acting Vice Chancellor, Silafau Professor Sina Va'ai, confirmed the Kenyan has been placed on leave pending an ongoing investigation. The investigation followed allegations raised by the Ministry of Health about his work.

The Director General of the Ministry of Health, Leausa Dr. Take Naseri, said Dr Osborne’s credentials were “questionable” hence an official complaint lodged with the Samoa Qualifications Authority and the N.U.S. The Attorney General was copied.

Leausa alleged that Dr. Embiruka did “laboratory work” for the hospital and the “reports submitted appeared questionable and this prompted the query with the N.U.S., which was later extended to the Samoa Qualification Authority.

“I wrote to the Samoa Qualifications Authority and copied the N.U.S and the Medical Council, given there was some work he was doing for hospital, such as tissue counting.

“And we found out some disturbing news about his credentials, information from the University in Kenya says they did not confer any Pathologist degree on him.”

According to the Director General, Dr. Embiruka also applied for a Pathologist vacancy at the hospital.

"But when the funders (the Australian government) questioned his credentials, he pulled his application," Leausa said.

Dr. Embiruka disputed the allegations. He had left the country last month but told the Samoa Observer that he is coming back to Samoa to clear his name.

He said Leausa and the Ministry of Health started digging up stuff about him because he had applied for the C.E.O. position at the  Ministry of Health.

“I applied for the C.E.O. position and I was told that I am a foreigner so why do I want to compete with locals, yet already getting high perks at the university.

“They disregarded the application. The whole circle goes around harming all the black professionals at the N.U.S.”