The Public Service Commission has affirmed that the appointment of Bitange Ndemo as the University of Nairobi Vice Chancellor is legitimate, and shareholders at the University should resolve leadership issues amicably without creating 'unnecessary' anxiety.
In a statement on Thursday, May 15, the Public Service Commission Vice Chairperson, Mary Kimonye, affirmed that the appointment of Ndemo as the VC, to take over from Jesang Hutchinson, who was the acting VC, was done through a proper, competitive recruitment process by the law.
"The Commission, therefore, urges the parties involved to resolve the dispute in the appointment of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi amicably and expeditiously as guided by the Law in order to save the country unnecessary anxiety and stem the deterioration of the image of the Premier University," she stated.
"The Commission wishes to confirm that the interviews for the University of Nairobi are some of the most recent that the Commission has conducted in a bid to clear the backlog of pending requests for filling of vacancies in public universities," she added.
The commission, according to Kimonye, has this year alone done 18 other similar recruitment processes in other institutions across the country, and none of them opposed any appointments apart from the University of Nairobi.
Some of the institutions that have received new leadership since January according to PSC include the Open University of Kenya, Garissa University, Pwani University, Technical University of Kenya, Multimedia University, Meru University of Science and Technology, Kisii University, Karatina University, Kaimosi University, Turkana University, Alupe University, and Tharaka University.
"Indeed, since the coming into office of the new Vice Chairperson and Members of the Commission in January this year, the Commission has expeditiously processed and cleared the backlog of 19 posts (out of 19 vacancies) in top management levels in public universities in record time," she stated.
Ndemo's appointment, which was announced by the University Council on Thursday, May 9, has sparked a wave of controversy among stakeholders of the university over its top leadership.
Since Prof. Ndemo is still on his diplomatic assignment in Brussels as Kenya's Ambassador to Belgium, the University Council announced that Prof. Francis Mulaa would steer the university for six months before Ndemo takes over.
Moments after his appointment by the council, Ndemo, who is the former ICT Principal Secretary, declined his appointment, citing alleged irregularities in the recruitment process and the deteriorating situation at the country's top university.
In a statement on Friday, May 9, the Education Cabinet Secretary, Julius Ogamba, also dismissed Prof. Mulaa's appointment as acting VC, stressing that the ministry only recognises Prof. Hutchinson as the VC of the university.
“Section 35(1)(a)(v) of the Universities Act, 2012 provides that in the case of a public university, the Council shall appoint the Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellors in consultation with the Cabinet Secretary, after a competitive process conducted by the Public Service Commission,” he stated.
