How forged papers toppled Maasai Mara varsity deputy VC hiring

In turn of events, the Nakuru Employment and labour Court nullified the appointment of Professor James Simirei Ole Nampushi as the deputy vice chancellor (DVC) in charge of Administration, Finance and Strategy at the Maasai Mara University.

In a judgment delivered on April 30, Justice James Rika declared the appointment of Prof James Simirei as unconstitutional, null and void, stating that it failed the integrity threshold and contravened the values and principles of public service.

“It is declared that the first respondent (Prof Nampushi) is not fit and qualified to hold the position of the deputy vice chancellor (DVC) in charge of Administration, Finance and Strategy at the Maasai Mara University,” ruled the judge.

The ruling followed a petition filed on September 23, 2024 by Narok residents Jimmy Parnyumbe Luke who challenged the appointment on the grounds that Prof Nampushi was unqualified for the position.

Parnyumbe also claimed that Prof Nampushi, who had served in an acting capacity before his confirmation, was promoted under suspicious circumstances despite lacking the minimum qualifications for the position.

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He further accused the embattled DVC of possessing questionable academic credentials, tainted management record, corruption, indecisiveness and abuse of office. The petitioner also alleged that during his tenure, the don mismanaged the University and fostered impunity and nepotism.

“He oversaw the employment of over 40 per cent of staff from the dominant ethnic community in Narok County, in violation of the National Cohesion and Integration Act, 2008,” Parnyumbe wrote.

To solidify the evidence, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) also submitted evidence raising serious questions about the Professor’s academic credentials and flagged falsified documents.

Justice Rika also ruled that the don had failed to provide credible evidence to counter the grave allegations presented by EACC and Parnyumbe.

“Falsification of identification documents aimed at securing a high public service office was clearly against the values and principles of high standards of professional ethics, accountability, transparency, and resulted in a complete violation of fair competition and merit, as outlined in the Article 232 of the constitution,” he added.

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The petitioner in the case (Parnyumbe) also sued the Maasai Mara University, the University council, the Cabinet Secretary for education and the Public Service Commission.

Despite the Prof Nampushi dismissing the case as malicious and intention efforts to taint his reputation, the court uphold it after it was fully persuaded by the evidence submitted by the EACC and an affidavit sworn by the EACC CEO Paul Famba which raised more concerns about the Prof Nampushi’s qualification.

Also submitted was the letter from the Public Service Commission pointing to discrepancies in Prof Nampushi’s identification documents and academic certificates.

The court also heard that the don was among the seven candidates interviewed for DVC position, ranking in the top three with a score of 79.3 per cent. The other two were Prof James Muriithi Njiru and Prof Hellen Kiende Mberia, who had scored 77.3 and 75.3 per cent respectively.

However the letter dated July 2024 from public service commission noted inconsistencies in Prof Nampushi’s documents, including alteration of his date of birth from December 20, 1965 to December 20, 1975, which raised concerns when comparing with the dates in his CPE and KCSE certificates.

By Brian Ndigo