University of Botswana, Dr Sesana: A perfect fit
Dr Enole Ditsheko | Monday November 9, 2026 09:34
Properly conferred, it is a public recognition of an individual whose contribution to society has been so significant that it deserves to be acknowledged by a credible institution of higher learning. Unlike an earned doctorate, which normally follows years of study, research and the production of a thesis, an honorary degree recognises achievement outside the conventional academic route. It should therefore be reserved for people whose work has made a meaningful and lasting difference. In deserving cases, such an honour may also be conferred posthumously, meaning after the death.
Two considerations are essential when a university awards an honorary doctorate: the credibility of the institution and the merit of the recipient. Both must withstand public scrutiny. The institution’s reputation gives the award weight, while the recipient’s record gives it meaning. A reputable university is built on more than buildings and ceremony. It requires qualified academics, sustained research, scholarly publications and a culture of intellectual enquiry. These are amongst the foundations that give academic qualifications their standing and make an institution’s decisions worthy of public confidence. At last week’s graduation ceremony, the academic processions offered a reminder of the discipline behind higher learning.
Academic and support staff procession, professors’ procession and the Chancellor’s procession formed part of a ceremony shaped by years of study, research and service. For many, the road to a doctorate has demanded determination, resilience and sacrifice. The University of Botswana has, over the years, been led and shaped by respected academics and administrators, amongst them the late Thomas Tlou, Bojosi Otlhogile, Thabo Fako and the current Vice-Chancellor, David Norris. The university’s Senate and Council have a responsibility to ensure that honorary awards are considered carefully and that the distinction is not reduced to a ceremonial formality. The University of Botswana remains a central institution in the country’s higher-education landscape.
Its international standing may be discussed and assessed against different measures, but its contribution to the development of scholarship and doctoral education in Botswana should not be dismissed. In my view, it should continue to set the national benchmark for honorary doctorates. The university began operating in 1982, while its first PhD programme was introduced in 1995. Building doctoral education requires long-term planning, investment and the development of research capacity. The gradual strengthening of that capacity is an important part of establishing and maintaining academic credibility. A doctoral qualification should represent a body of work that can withstand scrutiny. Research is not simply a title or a ceremony; it is a commitment to evidence, analysis and the advancement of knowledge. The value of an earned doctorate rests in part on the rigour of the process through which it is obtained. For that reason, the awarding of doctoral qualifications by institutions whose academic standards and research capacity are unclear should invite serious questions and scrutiny.
A credible institution needs appropriate research infrastructure and a suitably qualified, diverse academic community able to guide and mentor upcoming scholars. Without those foundations, the legitimacy of its qualifications is dubious. Batswana should be cautious about offers that promise prestigious qualifications in exchange for substantial payments. Some questionable operators promote expensive regalia and elaborate graduation ceremonies, later publicising them on social media. Before committing money or accepting a title, prospective recipients should verify an institution’s legitimacy, accreditation and academic standing. These ceremonies are not enough for the public to recognise you as carrying a Dr prefix. I write this with some personal reflection. After a visit to the United Kingdom in October 2018, someone suggested that I be considered for an honorary doctorate in recognition of my humanitarian work with underserved children and young people. I questioned whether the impact of my small non-governmental organisation justified such recognition, and respectfully declined to be considered. An honour of this nature should be accepted with conviction, not uncertainty. At last week’s three-day graduation ceremonies, three distinguished individuals received doctoral degrees in recognition of their contributions to Botswana and its people.
Their achievements are different, and I do not seek to diminish any of them. Each has served society in a distinct capacity and made contributions that future generations can acknowledge. Two of the recipients followed the conventional academic route to earn their doctoral qualifications. The third did not take that route, but his contribution to society, in my view, fully justified the recognition bestowed upon him. Dr Matshidiso Moeti has distinguished herself in medicine and represented Botswana on the international stage. Through the roles entrusted to her, she has contributed to public health and the service of humanity. Dr Key Oagile Dingake earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Cape Town, a respected institution of higher learning. As a jurist of considerable standing, he has continued to contribute his legal expertise beyond his service on the Botswana bench, where he served with distinction. But Dr Roy Sesana is the reason I have written this article. A son of the Kalahari, he has remained steadfast in advocating for the rights of his people. In my view, he is an exceptionally deserving recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University of Botswana.
His recognition is a powerful example of how a university can honour a contribution whose significance cannot be measured solely through conventional academic credentials. At the height of the conflict between the Government of Botswana and residents of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Dr Sesana refused to be silenced. He opposed efforts to relocate his people to New Xade, amid the involvement of game wardens, police and the army. His message was clear: the land held the remains of their ancestors, and his people were not prepared to abandon that connection in exchange for what was presented as civilisation. Dr Sesana’s understanding of human rights has been shaped not by a graduate classroom, but by lived experience, struggle and advocacy. His record offers a powerful reminder that knowledge can be acquired through different paths, and that the defence of human dignity is not the exclusive preserve of those who have studied it academically. His honour should not be diminished because he did not obtain a doctorate through the conventional academic route.
An honorary degree exists precisely to recognise contributions that may not be captured by formal qualifications alone. In Dr Sesana’s case, the award acknowledges a sustained commitment to the rights and dignity of his people. Even before the degree was conferred on 23 October 2026, Dr Sesana had demonstrated a profound commitment to ethics and human rights through his actions. I am grateful to have witnessed the University of Botswana recognise him as an important figure in Botswana’s contemporary history. The decision reflects the value of matching an institution’s recognition with a recipient whose life and work embody the substance of the honour. Dr Roy Sesana’s honorary doctorate is therefore more than a title. It is recognition of a life spent standing up for his people and defending their connection to their land, identity and dignity. The University of Botswana has, in my view, made a fitting choice.
Hail, Dr Roy Sesana of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and the First People of the Kalahari. You have earned this honour. We, the academics, will find you to be our senior professor if we should file in a procession. *The author is a writer, journalist and researcher. He holds a PhD in Mass Communication and Media Studies from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA, where he has lived since 2019.