Education Ministry overturns UoN Council's VC appointments
PS Inyangala clarified that no formal consultation took place between the University Council and the Ministry before the decision was made.
The Ministry of Education has rejected leadership appointments recently made by the University of Nairobi Council, stating the process was unlawful and failed to follow the required procedures.
In a detailed statement released Friday, Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala said the Ministry was not involved in the appointment of Prof. Francis Jackim Mulaa as Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs and acting Vice-Chancellor.
She clarified that no formal consultation took place between the University Council and the Ministry before the decision was made.
According to the PS, the current leadership remains unchanged. Prof. Margaret Jesang Hutchinson will continue as the acting Vice-Chancellor.
She will be joined by Prof. Ayub Gitau (Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs), Prof. Francis Mulaa (Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Enterprise), Prof. John Demesi Mande (Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Human Resource and Administration), and Prof. Jackson Maalu (Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Finance, Planning and Development).
She emphasized that senior university appointments must follow a transparent and competitive process overseen by the Public Service Commission and involve the Cabinet Secretary for Education.
"The Ministry will work with all agencies and stakeholders to ensure that our institutions of higher education are managed in accordance with the edict of the law and in a manner that is consistent with principles of corporate governance," the statement read.
The Ministry further stated that no Council meeting had been properly convened to deliberate on the appointments, and questioned the authenticity of the appointment letters that were issued.
According to the PS, the Council overstepped its authority by making decisions without the required legal procedure.
She cited Section 35(1)(a)(v) of the Universities Act, 2012, saying, "The purported appointments are also contra-statute for not adhering to the mandatory procedure for appointment. These egregious violations of the law shall not be condoned and will form the basis for appropriate action in due course."
The Ministry’s clarification came a day after Kenya’s Ambassador to Belgium, Prof. Bitange Ndemo, rejected his announced appointment as Vice Chancellor of UoN.
His name had been put forward by the University Council as the next VC after Prof. Hutchinson, with the intention that he would take up the role upon completing his diplomatic term.
However, Prof. Ndemo dismissed the move as flawed. In a statement released Thursday, he described the appointment process as "unprocedural" and said he would not be taking up the post.
Ndemo said that upon receiving the appointment letter, he asked the Council Chairman, Prof. Amukowa Anangwe, whether approval had been obtained from the Education Cabinet Secretary.
He was assured that the required documents had been submitted and that the process was in order.