Ethnicisation of our national institutions

My university has recently been in the news regarding the protracted process of appointing a new vice-chancellor, and the recent appointment of an acting one seems to have raised quite a storm for several reasons.

Two main issues stood out in the ensuing debates – the lack of clarity in appointment processes, and the role of ethnicity in determining suitability for office.

The process of replacing the VC and other high-ranking officials at the university has been quite convoluted and has taken such a long time that people have had cause to begin speculating.

Questions have been raised about the outcomes of several interviews intended to fill several vacant senior positions at the institution, and some have openly speculated that the outcomes were contentious, leading to relative paralysis on the part of the appointing authorities and consideration of re-advertisement and a second round of interviews.

While this is a serious and potentially disruptive matter, communicating openly and explaining the cause of the delay in filling these important positions substantively can quickly address it.

In the absence of information, rumours thrive, and the shape and flavour of those rumours will obviously depend on the persuasion of those spreading them.

Thus those carrying water for certain of the aspirants may conclude that the only reason their favoured candidate has not been appointed is that there is some sort of bias or discrimination against the group to which they belong.

This erodes trust in institutions, and can result in difficulties in attracting and retaining competent staff to carry out the institution’s mandate.

To quiet these voices, a clear explanation for the problem and a concrete plan to tackle it must be presented, with the intention of strengthening the institution and sending a message that the academy shall not be infiltrated by the same filth that dulls the shine of other national institutions.

The truth is that many honest academics will not function effectively in a system that has this much uncertainty, where the written rules are subordinate to unwritten ones known only to a select few.

Academics tend to drift towards external predictability, in order to allow them to tinker with the environment and test their ideas in a stable environment.

HISTORICAL INJUSTICES

Concerning ethnicisation of institutions in this country, it is useful for us to reopen the national conversation on ethnicity and its role in public organisations. We seem to be sitting pretty thinking we have finally solved the problem of “historical injustices” by requiring every public institution to ensure that no more than 30 pc of their workforce belongs to the same ethnic community.

This is the same yardstick used by our otherwise moribund National Cohesion and Integration Commission in assessing ethnic relations.

One could argue that it is a lazy metric to use, given the many factors that go into determining who is employable in a particular institution.

It ignores the self-same “historical injustices” by turning a blind eye to the difficulties people from minority groups have to contend with in order to enter into contention for certain positions.

In my view, the real problem is the atrocious conditions in which children and youth in the “remote” areas have to live and learn. In these places, the environment is often so skewed against academic excellence that very few manage to successfully navigate the system and compete favourably in the modern economy.

This must change for us to see fair competition amongst people from diverse backgrounds. Only in such a setting of equal opportunity can we then apply the formula prescribed by the NCIC.

In this connection, some politicians raised a ruckus upon the appointment of an Acting VC until the position is substantively filled. Among their grouses was that they felt their fellow tribesman had been denied a substantive appointment due to his ethnicity, and they threatened to paralyse the university unless this was rectified.

Atwoli is associate professor of psychiatry and dean, School of Medicine, Moi University; [email protected]