Kaimosi Friends University, one of Kenya’s newest public universities, is facing a major crisis due to a drawn-out and bitter fight over who should be the Vice-Chancellor (VC).
For over 500 days, the university has been without a confirmed VC, leading to numerous court battles and accusations that politics are getting in the way of fair appointments.
The core of the problem seems to be that senior government officials in the Ministry of Education have ignored the proper ways of choosing a VC. Documents seen by the Education News shows that there is a power struggle between the former Education Cabinet Secretary, Ezekiel Machogu, and his successor, Julius Ogamba, along with the university’s own management council.
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This has resulted in several court orders being disregarded and decisions being made that raise serious questions about how independent public university appointments truly are.
The dispute began in February 2024, when Professor Manyasa Nandi emerged as the top candidate, scoring the highest in the interviews conducted by the Public Service Commission (PSC). However, despite his strong performance, he was not recommended for the position. Instead, other candidates were initially favored. This led Professor Nandi to challenge the decision in court.
In December 2024, a judge ruled in Professor Nandi’s favor, stating that the university’s decision was wrong, ordering them to appoint him based on the PSC results and the Kenyan Constitution, which emphasizes fairness and merit.
However, this court order was never followed. Instead, the Ministry of Education tried to block Professor Nandi’s appointment by asking another court for a “stay order.” On March 25, 2025, the Court of Appeal granted this request, allowing time for a related case to be heard and decided.
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The court agreed that things should stay as they were, with no confirmed VC, until the legal processes were complete.
Despite these ongoing legal proceedings and the court’s instruction to maintain the status quo, the university council unexpectedly announced on May 14, 2025, that Prof. Peter Nyamuhanga Mwita had been appointed as the new substantive Vice-Chancellor.
The council stated that this appointment followed a proper process and was done in consultation with the Education Cabinet Secretary.
This new appointment quickly faced legal challenges. Just two weeks later, on May 29, 2025, another court suspended Mwita’s appointment. A judge issued orders preventing him from taking office until the final outcome of the case.
By Benedict Aoya
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