The University of Nairobi, UoN, leadership crisis is seen to widen as top government officials differ on the Vice Chancellor appointment.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba and the Head of Public Service Felix Koskei have openly display rift on the appointment of a new Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Nairobi.
Sources at the university have hinted to one of the local dailys,that the focus now shifts to the appointment of the VC and constituting a new council, with the Council, chaired by Prof Amukowa Anangwe, negotiating their exit.
It emerged that Jogoo House is keen to have Prof Bitange Ndemo, the current ambassador to Belgium, to quash his decision to decline the appointment as VC.
Koskei’s side, it’s alleged, favours Prof Margaret Jesang Hutchinson, who is the acting VC, to take up the prime slot.
However, the dilemma is that while Prof Ndemo publicly rejected the offer and expressly termed the appointment process unprocedural, Prof Hutchinson, largely preferred for the top seat, did not apply for the job.
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Insiders say that this dilemma has drawn both factions back to the drawing board, with insiders at Jogoo House and the university pointing to a major split of interests in the appointment.
Turning down the appointment, Prof Ndemo cited procedural irregularities in the process.
“I dissociate myself from this unprocedural process and have withdrawn my candidacy for the position,” Prof Ndemo stated.
According to the scores of the Public Service Commission (PSC) that conducted their interviews, Prof Ndemo emerged top in the merit list with an 84 per cent score.
Prof Duke Orata came in second with a 73 per cent score, and Prof Francis Jackim Mulaa was ranked third with 66.7 per cent.
This means that with Prof Ndemo and Prof Hutchinson out of the race, Prof Orata and Prof Mulaa are the next suitable candidates for the job.
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Insiders say that even though Prof Orata, a professor in the department of Chemistry, emerged second, he presently has no administrative or management duties.
Prof Mulaa, having been promoted and appointed substantive DVC by Prof Anangwe, now stands a better chance of getting the VC job.
However, it emerged that both sides –Jogoo House and State House—are not keen on having Prof Mulaa take up the slot. Koskei is said to have briefed a consultative meeting of the University of Nairobi Professors’ Association (UONPA) convened last week on why Prof Mulaa must step down in the ensuing leadership quest.
Immediately after the meeting, Koskei, in a social media post, said the meeting aimed at strengthening governance. “UONPA paid me a courtesy call for a constructive discussion on university governance. I appreciated the intellectual rigours and insights that will inform ongoing efforts in policy and institutional strengthening. I assured them of the government’s commitment towards streamlining matters at the University of Nairobi,” the post reads.
A professor who attended the meeting, in private, said, “In the meeting, we were told that he (Prof Mulaa) has to first surrender the DVC appointment letter that he was given by the council. Failure to do so will also result in court action, just as the rest of the council members did.”
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On May 5, 2025, the council, through Prof Anangwe, appointed Prof Mulaa as a substantive DVC (Academic Affairs) and acting vice-chancellor.
However, in a letter dated May 9, 2025, Higher Education PS Beatrice Inyangala wrote to Prof Mulaa revoking his appointments, arguing that there were no consultations.
It emerged that this position was reinforced during a meeting with Koskei and the professor’s association. Consequently, emissaries were dispatched to informally talk to Prof Mulaa to surrender his appointment letter and to abandon his ambitions of being VC.
“Anytime from now, if he (Prof Mulaa) does not play ball, expect fresh arrests that will culminate in him being hounded in court and charges. This will also push him out of the university leadership, hence clearing the way for the rest of the processes,” said the professor.
Efforts to contact Prof Mulaa did not bear fruit, Multiple phone calls, short text messages, and WhatsApp messages made by the local daily to Prof Mulaa’s mobile phone went unanswered.
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Government sources familiar with the details, however, said that it is a matter of time before Prof Mulaa is ejected from the office.
“A team of investigators have already been instructed to go to Prof Mulaa’s last status at Garissa University to comb out details of misappropriation of government money under his watch, in the event he fails to submit to the emissaries’ instructions.”
Insiders revealed to the daily, that after the PSC firmly supported its report during the recruitment process, external forces mooted a new plan to tilt the process in their favour.
“Some forces wanted the PSC to retract its report to the Council so that the hiring process of the VC can start afresh to allow favoured candidates, who may not have applied, to submit their applications,” said a source at the university.
In a statement dated May 15, 2025, PSC said that the recruitment process was above board and as per the law.
By Cornelius Korir
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