University Education and Research PS Colleta Suda has been accused of intimidating the Masinde Muliro university council.
Frank Kusiom on Monday resigned from the seven-member council. He said Suda wants all members to toe her line and “despises independent minds”.
Vice Chancellor Frederick Otieno’s five-year term expired on November 30. Prof Joseph Bosire of the Jaramogi Oginda University of Science and Technology has been acting VC. He was appointed for three months pending recruitment of a new VC.
Kusiom said Suda is determined to renew Otieno’s contract even if it means ignoring the council’s recommendations. The vice chancellor serves as the council secretary.
Kusiom accused the PS of “engaging in open nepotism and tribalism”. Suda does not believe in academic and professional competence, he said at a council meeting.
“The PS has permanently ensured the current transition at the university is managed through her office and cronies. Any council member perceived to have divergent views is harassed, intimidated and threatened,” Kusiom said in a letter addressed to Education CS Amina Mohamed.
Suda yesterday dismissed the claims as falsehoods.
“Ask him to tell you how I’m harassing, intimidating or threatening him and over what,” she told the Star.
The PS said government policy bars anyone working on permanent terms in government from being a member of not just the university councils, but also any board.
The ministry had discovered that Kusiom was a full-time employee of the National Land Commission but did not disclose that when he was interviewed for the council membership, Suda said. That has made Kusiom insecure, she said.
“He lied to us. He has to say something sensational to preempt the issue by playing the victim,” she said.
In the past two years, the university management has been embroiled in wrangles over Prof Otieno’s tenure.
Otieno had sought to have his term renewed for another five years. But on August 15 last year, the council chaired by Dr Jeremy Bundi wrote to CS Amina, advising against extension of Otieno’s tenure.
The council advised he proceed on terminal leave from September 1 to clear his accumulated leave days and allow for appointment of a new VC. Budi has been moved from Masinde Muliro to chair the Pwani University council.
dons back bosire
Otieno also had run-ins with union officials, who accused him of abuse of office and high-handedness. They included the Academic Staff Union, the Kenya Universities Staff Union and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission probed the university boss over the accusations and cleared him of wrongdoing.
Last month, a professors’ forum urged the staff to support Bosire to heal the wounds caused by past feuds. Chairman Silvery Oteng’i appealed for unity and calm to allow Bosire to discharge his mandate.
“We are going to support anything the ministry takes up to stabilise the university. We oppose divisions of any kind,” Oteng’i said.
The professors agreed they would not allow any issues to distract them from uniting behind acting VC Bosire.
In a press statement read by forum secretary Thomas Sakwa, the professors said they had confidence in the university council and fully supported the governments’ decision to appoint a neutral acting VC. They said they would cooperate to avert malpractices.
It was alleged some employees were unhappy about the leadership change and were out to incite students to violence. The dons warned those disgruntled against making trouble that would disrupt university operations.