On Saturday, Kenyans were treated to drama over the appointment of the University of Nairobi’s vice chancellor.
Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha started the play when he fired newly appointed VC Stephen Kiama and the entire UoN council.
The CS appointed deputy VC Isaac Mbeche to act as the VC and relegated Kiama to his former position as one of the Deputy VCs.
Then Kiama, set to be installed on Tuesday, fired a memo maintaining he remains the bonafide VC and told the council and staff to ignore Magoha’s action.
Two other memos quickly followed, one from deputy VC Madara Ogot, cancelling Kiama’s planned installation and another from Mbeche, warning the university staff against processing any media statement from Kiama.
What was witnessed at the weekend tarnishes the image of Kenya’s oldest institution of higher learning, which many look up to as the beacon among public universities.
The matter of the UoN VC should be quickly sorted out to restore calm among staff and students and instil confidence in the public that the recruitment for the UoN top seat is above board.
An independent human resource firm such as PricewaterhouseCoopers can be tasked to undertake the recruitment.
Quote of the Day: Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort.
John Ruskin
The English writer died on January 20, 1900.
