Supremacy wars at Turkana University College – Weekly Citizen

Supremacy battles are raging at the recently established Turkana University College, a constituent college of Kakamega-based Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology between the institution’s principal, Thomas Akuja and chairman of the council Mussolini Kithome.

According to sources, the supremacy battles which have lasted for almost a year, could make the two to go for each other’s jogular unless Education cabinet secretary, George Magoha, moves with speed to bring it to an end the nonsense at the ivory tower. The cause is said to be alleged arrogance on the part of the principal who reportedly does not respect the council as his employer.

Prof Akuja

Documents in our possession show that the principal has had to bear with nearly 15 accusations from the chair, among other things, that the council may even go further to recommend to the ministry to have him axed from the institution. Kithome has further indicated that the action he contemplates has the support of council members, among others, Justus Wambutura, Joseph Mele, Sophy Kirorei, Salome Mwenda, Nixon Mageka, Pius Odhiambo and Solomon Ngahu.

The chair simply referred us to Mageka to provide the requisite information.

But Mageka kept on giving excuses, for instance, that he has a meeting with Vihiga governor, and that he is travelling to Nairobi on official duty, and, later, that he is attending a funeral and thereafter visit a foreign country. On his part, the principal made it impossible for an interview, and, even, his secretary appeared scared to facilitate appointment so that he could be interviewed.

Unconfirmed reports divulge that the relationship between the two is so bad that has at least attracted the attention of the chancellor, Muthoka. The chancellor is reported to be communicating with the two seniors on the possibility of meeting with them in the next few days.

Sources said what brought to light the Tuc issue was when on July 23 2018, under Akuja’s instructions; armed goons stormed the office of the then deputy principal (administration and finance), Stephen Odobero, bundling him out, never to go back todate. Odobero confided to this writer that he may have angered the principal when he allegedly attempted to question his ‘strange’ appetite for money, the same problem the council was complaining about.

Kibe

“The goons ordered me at gun-point to surrender office keys, keys to the safe box as well as all the passwords,” Odobero said adding that while trembling he rushed to the nearest police station, reported the incident which was recorded in the Occurrence Book, but todate nobody has been arrested in connection with the incident nor him being required to record statement.

Odobero says the commission on the part of his CEO and omission by police has now forced him to move to court and seek justice. Court papers question Odobero’s illegal eviction from office at gunpoint without following the due process.

“Council was informed by Turkana county government that they had given Tuc Sh5.5million. When you were asked during a full council meeting, you told council blatantly you have never received a single coin from Turkana county government,” states one of the accusations leveled against the principal by council chairman.

Kithome explains that it took the effort of Tuc accountant who revealed to council that indeed the county government had advanced the said cash to the institution. The chair says although Akuja had later to confess having received the cash, todate he had not accounted for the same, accusing him of lack of honesty and transparency when dealing with public funds.

Other accusations by council against the principal include being habitually absent from the university college without notifying the chair, lack of adherence to public management Act, eg when he made a payment of Sh5 million to a contractor without council’s approval, denying auditors from Education ministry access to information and documents during an audit exercise, laissez-fire management style and free-reign leadership as well as not dispensing his duties.

The chair accuses the principal of alleged impunity and flouting of statutory laws, state corporations and the legal notice that established Tuc.

Further accusations are that the principal disrespects members of council and even refusing to pick their calls, and, even at one time commenting that he “had no time for nonsense from council members”. The chair thereafter warned the principal of the consequences of a disciplinary action being taken against him. However, by the time of going to the press we had no information if any disciplinary action had been taken by council”.

Akuja in a rejoinder says: “I never badmouthed anyone and this is not my character as a person,” adding that arrogance and disrespect to council members and the chair are perceptions. He informs the chair that accusations are an affront to his style of carrying out council’s duty. He says the Sh5.5 million he is accused of not having accounted for was actually bursaries received by various students from their respective wards.

Prof Magoha

Some members of staff we managed to talk to, and, who did not wish to be quoted, said Tuc under Prof Akuja is operating under the “law of the jungle” allegedly because of his high-handedness and hiring and favouring workers from his Turkana tribe. They claimed he ensured those from his tribe had their salaries accelerated. They gave an example of a Turkana who only last year was appointed a senior lecturer and placed on a salary scale that is the sealing of his grade while a non-Turkana senior lecturer that has been there for 10 years has had his advancement upward stagnated.

The unnamed members of staff further accused Prof Akuja of having allegedly ensured that students from his tribe were included as candidates for the institution’s leadership despite they having been barred by dateline. They claimed that he had recently hired in acting capacity a registrar in-charge of administration with specific instructions to favor his tribe’s people and she did just that while recruiting workers in the security and sanitation departments.