I am a champion of dignified labour exit. At least, that is what the law of natural justice propagates. Just as the entry into an office is characterised by pomp and colour, an exit must not be dramatised to injure the reputation of the leaving staff.
I am not supporting Prof Peter Mbithi’s continued stay at the helm of Kenya’s premier university but I am advocating for professional dignity when it comes to parting ways. The four years he has steered the University of Nairobi were not entirely compounded with negative things.
He needs to be accorded professional respect as he winds up. This should be done to foster good labour relations. Secondly, people leaving offices are prone to become our ambassadors out there so we need to give them reasons to throw in good words about our institutions.
Unfortunately, in Kenya, there is a very bad culture of mishandling exiting employees. Senior and junior staff are hounded out of the office like common criminals. No wonder these aggrieved staff rush to courts to seek redress. These kind of dramatic exits are so common in Kenya because we have not embraced the culture of succession.
The manner in which the exit of the Vice Chancellor is being handled is dehumanising. He may have his own shortcomings (but so does everyone) but to chase him away like a criminal is to disrespect the office he held. Remember that the way you treat your employees is your instruction to them on how to treat your customers.
When the juniors observe the undignified manner their senior is being handled, they lose respect for the position he occupies. We have no guarantee that the new vice chancellor will be better.
MA student, Project Planning and Management at UoN
