Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu on Friday, March 10, appointed new members of the Council of Meru University of Science and Technology.
In a Gazette notice, Machogu unveiled Dr Jane Kiringai as the council's Chairperson. Kiringai was selected to head a team of five other persons
"In exercise of the powers conferred by section 36 (1) of the Universities Act, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, I hereby appoint the chairperson and members of the Council of Meru University of Science and Technology," Machugu stated.
The newly appointed members include Janet Afandi Ominde, Martin Kinoti, Jacob Kwaba, Lucy Rimanto Ndonket and Sylvester Kibbiwott Kinyor.
The new members will serve for a period of three years beginning Friday, March 10, 2023. They took over from a team that dodged with a number of challenges.
The new appointments came against the backdrop of protests that Meru University students staged against the suspension of their Vice-Chancellor, Professor Romanus Odhiambo.
The protests began along the Meru-Maua road as the students demanded that their Vice-Chancellor be reinstated immediately.
The students claimed that Prof. Odhiambo had raised the academic standards and infrastructure of the university, and there was no valid reason for suspending him.
In a statement on Tuesday, March 7, Machogu wondered why Prof Odhiambo was suspended before the end of his term.
"Regrettably, the Council fell short of its legal duty of fidelity to the applicable law. The University Council is directed to facilitate Prof. Odhiambo's resumption of office as Vice-Chancellor with immediate effect," the CS stated.
Machogu noted that the unlawful decision was ill-timed and contributed to student unrest that led to the indefinite closure of the institution on Monday, March 6, 2023.
"The decision is ill-timed because it was made a few days before the scheduled graduation ceremony of March 11, 2023, with the obvious consequence that it would undermine the preparations for the imminent event and destroy the hopes of graduands to transit into the world of work immediately," Machogu stated.
