Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogambo has revoked the appointment of Prof. Amukowa Anangwe as the Chairperson of the University of Nairobi Council, following pressure from Members of Parliament to dissolve the council.
The revocation, which also affects council member Langat Christopher Andrew, took effect on February 21, as stated in a gazette notice.
The move comes after the National Assembly’s Education Committee faulted the Ministry of Education for failing to address leadership wrangles at the university.
Acting committee chair Jerusha Momanyi (Kisii Woman Representative) directed the ministry to submit a report on the university’s affairs within a week, warning that delays could lead to a crisis similar to the one that saw Moi University struggle with governance issues.
MPs Accuse UoN Council of Overreach
Lawmakers have accused Prof. Anangwe of interfering with the university’s management and overstepping his mandate. Kitutu Masaba MP Clive Gisairo claimed that the council chair had unilaterally made decisions, including postponing the election of deans and appointing acting officials without proper procedure.
“One person, the council chairman, is acting as the entire council. In one instance, we saw a letter directing the postponement of the dean’s election, and while the law allows the current dean to continue in an acting capacity, he chose to appoint someone else,” Gisairo stated.
Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera warned that the University of Nairobi was at risk of institutional collapse, accusing the council of staging a “silent coup” by assuming executive powers.
Lecturers Threaten Strike Over Governance Issues
The University Academic Staff Union (UASU) has also protested against Prof. Anangwe’s leadership, accusing him of usurping the Vice-Chancellor’s role and making unilateral decisions that have disrupted governance at the institution.
“Prof. Anangwe is behaving as if he is the Vice-Chancellor. He has been unilaterally issuing transfer letters, extending staff contracts at his personal whim, and sitting in internal interviews. This blatant overreach is unacceptable,” said UASU UoN Chapter Secretary Maloba Wekesa.
The lecturers further alleged that Prof. Anangwe had ignored directives from the Chief of Staff and the Head of Public Service on the separation of powers between the university council and management. They claim that his interference has left key university positions in limbo, with many senior roles now held by individuals in an acting capacity.
UASU has also raised concerns over the alleged existence of a “Chief Operations Officer” position held by Brian Ouma, which it claims is illegal and not recognized under the university’s charter or the Public Service Commission.
“The University Council has allowed an illegal position to persist, draining public funds while UoN’s ranking plummets due to bad governance. The Chief Operations Officer position must be revoked immediately,” Wekesa said.
The union has given the government a one-week ultimatum to address the governance issues at the university or face industrial action.
“If the government does not act, we are ready to down our tools. We will not allow one person to run UoN like a personal kiosk,” Wekesa warned.
UASU has called on the Ministry of Education, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, and Parliament to intervene and restore order at the institution before the situation worsens.
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