Worrying ethnic trend in ex-VCs’ new college jobs

President Kibaki presents a seal, an instrument of incorporation to Prof Barasa Wangila, the vice-chancellor of Masinde Muliro University during the institution’s inauguration, installation of chancellor and first graduation ceremony in Kakamega a few years ago. Photo/FILE

Former public university vice-chancellors have been given a new lease of life by new colleges. At least five of those who headed universities in the 1990s and early 2000s have returned to positions of administration in the colleges, many of which were created in the past two years.

The government has appointed them as council chairmen of the colleges, and the institutions can tap into their long-held experience in administration.

However, many of them — apart from former University of Nairobi vice-chancellor Francis Gichaga, who has been appointed council chairman of Kenya Polytechnic University College — have been sent to institutions from their home areas in what reflects a worrying trend in which universities make appointments based on ethnic lines.

Civil Service posts

Councils are the top decision-making organs of the universities, whose duties include hiring staff and allocating funds to run various academic and administrative programmes. Others who have been appointed to the positions are former VCs Raphael Munavu, Justin Irina and Douglas Odhiambo, all formerly of Moi University.

Prof David Some is the chairman of council at Eldoret Polytechnic, which has for long interested Moi University where he was vice-chancellor up to a few years ago. Prof Some is the immediate former Moi University vice-chancellor. Three other former vice-chancellors have landed key government posts in the civil service and quasi-government institutions.

Prof Gichaga is the chairman of council for Kenya Polytechnic University College, which was recently acquired by the University of Nairobi. He is also a lecturer at the same university’s civil engineering department. Prof Gichaga steered the university through trying moments from 1991 to 2000, weathering the storms of strikes occasioned by the introduction by the university of direct fees among students and parallel degree programmes.

The unrest hit the peak in the 1994/95 academic year, when the government established the Higher Education Loans Board to administer finances for needy students, thereby scrapping the students allowance then popularly known as Boom. The decision prompted unrest in all universities although they were more rampant at the University of Nairobi.

Touched off riots

Starved of cash from the Exchequer, Prof Gichaga was the first to introduce the parallel degree programme, which also touched off riots from regular students who saw it as commercialisation of universities.

The students also argued that the system would water down standards since those who had been denied entry to the universities through the Joint Admissions Board (JAB) were getting an “easier” route to the same lecture halls than those admitted through higher marks.

Prof Gichaga’s counterpart at Kenyatta University, Prof George Eshiwani, was opposed to the parallel degree programme. At one time, he threatened to pull out of the JAB on grounds that it had outlived its usefulness in the face of entries through parallel degree courses.

Prof Eshiwani was removed from the university in 2003 after lecturers piled pressure on him to quit after the Narc administration came to power. He has kept off activities of universities, and is believed to be engaged in farming and research.

Prof Irina, who headed Moi University up to 1997, has been appointed chairman of Pwani University College, while his successor at the same university, Prof Munavu, chairs the council of the University College of Southern Kenya based in Ukambani. Prof Munavu also teaches chemistry at the University of Nairobi, and chairs the Kenya National Examinations Council.

Appointments for chairmen to the councils — for the older universities — are done by the President while for the newer ones, the Education ministry, together with chancellors, pick the officials. On Wednesday, Kenya Polytechnic principal Francis Aduol praised the appointments, saying new universities needed experienced scholars to turn them around. “Their experience will help the councils to develop watertight policy documents for them to run,” he said.

“Once they are up and running, the universities can then look to other professionals for input into the councils as chairmen.” Prof Aduol said councils for the new universities are currently seeking to develop many fresh statutes, hire staff and steer the development of expansion programmes.

Two other former vice-chancellors are working in public service in prime positions. Prof Crispus Kiamba, the man who succeeded Prof Gichaga at the University of Nairobi, is the permanent secretary at the Higher Education ministry. Prof Kiamba left the university after the institution sought to fill the position competitively. It went to deputy vice-chancellor George Magoha.

Prof Kiamba was moved to the Commission for Higher Education before he was appointed PS. Prof Kiamba was replaced at the commission by yet another former vice-chancellor, Prof Everett Standa, who was replaced at Kenyatta by the first woman vice-chancellor, Prof Olive Mugenda, through competitive recruitment.

Second woman VC

Former Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology vice-chancellor Ratemo Michieka is now teaching weed science at the University of Nairobi after he was removed as director of the National Environmental Management Agency. His successor, Prof Nick Wanjohi, now works at State House after his term expired, giving way to the second woman vice-chancellor, Prof Mabel Imbuga.

The only negative thing about the appointments is that most of them have been sent to councils of institutions that are located in their home areas. Public universities have this year come under great criticism for appointing vice- chancellors and principals who hail from communities where the institutions are located.