Why Kenya is losing teaching staff, students to regional universities

Many Kenyan universities lack qualified staff, especially those holding doctorates. This is largely due to regional brain drain.

Kenya is losing highly-qualified people, not to Europe or North America, but to fellow African countries such as Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda.

It is shocking that some intellectuals end up in these countries, which in the past were the sources of manpower for Kenya, when doctorate-holders from Uganda and Tanzania flooded Kenyan universities, then regarded as a greener pasture. What went wrong?

There are several causes of regional brain drain. Poor pay in many Kenyan universities is one such.

For example, in Tanzania, Mwanza-based St Augustine University pays higher salaries than any public or private university in Kenya.

The average monthly salary of a lecturer in Mwanza is $4,000. In Kenya, it is $1,000. What is interesting is that, of St Augustine University’s 22,000 students, about 10,000 are Kenyan.

This means the university can support its entire programme from Kenyan students. There are also many Kenyan lecturers teaching there, with some estimates indicating that about a quarter are Kenyan.

There are many Kenyan lecturers teaching in public universities in Uganda. The country has about seven public universities which include Makerere University. This university has close to 40,000 registered students, making it one of the largest in this region.

What is remarkable is that about 25,000 students are self-sponsored, and of this number, 15,000 are Kenyan. The fees they pay is responsible for a significant portion of the recurrent budget of the university.

Kampala International University has also attracted thousands of students from Kenya. Of its 20,000 students, about half are Kenyan. It has also been a popular employer for Kenyan intellectuals.

Some faculties of law in Uganda’s private universities have 90 per cent Kenyan students, and over 70 per cent Kenyan lecturers.

The same trend applies in other faculties such as engineering and medicine, where there are large numbers of Kenyan students. The faculties could be located in a Kenyan university without much difficulty.

The major problem in Kenya is that there are too many rigid structures, where some professional bodies restrict universities from offering some programmes.

Many were recently shocked to read that the Board of Engineers in Kenya was determined to lock out trainees from certain universities, arguing that their programmes were not recognised by the Engineering Association because they did not abide by certain standards.

The practice all over the world is for new programmes to be prepared and submitted for approval by lecturers. It was shocking to read the report which faulted local engineering departments for lacking adequately trained personnel as well as equipment.

The Medical Board has similar rigid professional pursuits and may account for the brain drain as well as student flight from Kenya.

The cost of university education in Kenya is higher than that in Tanzania and Uganda. This accounts for the declining enrolment numbers in Kenyan universities.

Parallel programmes in private universities are also reporting low enrolment. Also, all private universities in Kenya have reported declining enrolment.