Members of Parliament (MPs) have put the Ministry of Education (MoE) on the spot over the widespread use of acting vice-chancellors in state universities and the recurring staff strikes that continue to disrupt higher learning.
The National Assembly's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) raised the concerns during an oversight hearing at Bunge Towers, where higher education officials appeared to respond to questions on the governance of public universities.
Committee chairman and Butere MP Tindi Mwale warned that managing universities through interim administrators undermines institutional governance, creates anxiety among management and paralyses strategic decision-making.
"The issue of acting vice-chancellors and other top university officials is a very uncomfortable subject. What is the Ministry doing to address this matter?" Mwale asked.
MPs said administrators working without substantive appointments often lack the authority or confidence to carry out long-term reforms, leaving institutions vulnerable to financial and managerial distress.
PS Inyangala promises substantive vice-chancellors by June 2027
Higher Education and Research Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala defended the ministry's record, saying plans were under way, in collaboration with individual university councils, to finalise key appointments. She told the committee that substantive vice-chancellors would be in place in all affected institutions by mid-2027.
"By the end of the current academic year, in June 2027, we hope to have settled the matter once and for all," Dr Inyangala told the committee.
Strikes and labour disputes
The meeting was called to scrutinise the Auditor-General's reports for the 2024/2025 financial year. It also highlighted the toll that recurring industrial action has taken on students and parents. MPs urged the government to move from temporary crisis management to a durable labour framework that would end frequent shutdowns of lecture halls.
On the current tensions with academic unions, Dr Inyangala said the government remains committed to negotiations with all stakeholders and has been engaging union representatives directly. She said some of the grievances raised by lecturers are under review with the Public Service Commission (PSC).
"Some of the issues the dons have raised are under parallel discussion with the Public Service Commission. We are negotiating with all stakeholders, including the unions, and we will resolve this matter soon," the PS said.
The session was attended by several university leaders, including Moi University Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Kiplagat Kotut, Cooperative University Vice-Chancellor Prof Kamau Ngamau and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) Vice-Chancellor Prof Emily Akuno.
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