Why UoN has become endless circus stage – Weekly Citizen

For the better part of January 2020, the University of Nairobi witnessed an unprecedented and atypical theatre of the absurd.

For the first time in the history of UoN, common decency seemed to have been thrown out of the window in a ferocious showdown that amounts to washing dirty innerwear at the public square at high noon.

As this ugly scenario unfolds, a contest whose envisaged outcome is hidden to many is slowly but surely chocking the soul of Kenya’s oldest public university. Once regarded as the centre of intellectual excellence in Kenya, UoN is now the babel of rambling verbal exchanges and catfights involving intellectuals who Kenyans wouldn’t otherwise expect to resort to uproarious altercations.

The stage for the squabbling was set by former vice chancellor Peter Mbithi who was shown the door sometime mid last year. Simmering in the background for a whole five years, however, were murmurs of disquiet among those who were unhappy with Mbithi’s mode of leadership that left many worried the university was on the wrong path.

Mbeche

Citing University Act 2012, the University of Nairobi Council, in a letter dated June 27, 2019 referred the former vice chancellor to direct his quest to serve a second term to the Public Service Commission. At the same time, the Council—after consultations with Education minister, also former vice chancellor of UoN George Magoha—appointed Professor Mbeche Isaac Meroka to act as VC.

There were celebrations when Mbith vacated the office for Mbeche and proceeded on leave starting July 6, 2019.  Then things went from bad to worse.

To begin with, intense lobbying for UoN’s VC post kicked in. For the most part during the initial days, silent influence peddling was the name of the game. However, once the VC seat was officially declared vacant through an advert from PSC in November 2019, elbowing and all manner of power-play became common.

Mbithi

In the ensuing confusion, largely from behind the scenes, one could easily see the hand of Magoha. Those in the know say Magoha never quite left UoN and he is still serving as a member of the UoN  pension scheme board.

By the time Magoha left UoN reluctantly in 2014, he had long arranged his ducks in a row. One of his strategic moves was to get his village-mate and boyhood bosom buddy Madara Ogot—from the Penn State University in the US where he was do—to UoN. In a well-calculated move replete with high-level machinations, the late James Kimani was unceremoniously ejected from UoN’s hitherto foremost success story namely, the University of Nairobi Enterprises and Services Limited.

Prof Ogot replaced Prof Kimani, whose name was synonymous with the success story that UNES back in the day much to the chagrin of many. Within days of his removal, Kimani passed on a dejected man, apparently from complications related to shock. Since then, UNES has never recovered its glitter.

Ogot

Another ally of Magoha’s schemes is Paul Tirimba, a lawyer by training and one time UoN lecturer.

In her ruling of Thursday, January 30^, 2020, Lady Justice Maureen Onyango granted Education CS, Magoha his plea to resolve the leadership impasse at UoN in 30 days. Justice Onyango further ordered the wrangling parties to get done with resolving the standoff and agree on who will serve as UoN VC by the time the court resumes on February 27, 2020. The Public Service Commission was in agreement with that ruling.

Many Kenyans are eager to see how this rather awkward situation will be adjudicated particularly because Magoha’s partisan involvement is not in doubt. Meanwhile, the grapevine has it that sources close to Raila Odinga allege that the instigator of this whole mix-up at UoN is no other than Baba who wants Ogot. It is for this reason that the embattled Stephen Kiama who was appointed VC but was shown the door by Magoha.