Public universities promoting tribalism in Kenya, NCIC warns

Chairperson National Cohesion and Integration Commission, Francis Ole Kaparo addresses news reporters during retreat on review of the national cohesion and integration act with members of joint committee on National Cohesion and equal opportunity at Flamingo Beach resort in Mombasa. PHOTO OMONDI ONYANGO/STANDARD

MOMBASA: The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has revealed that public universities have turned out to be incubators of tribalism.

Friday Commission chairman Francis ole Kaparo expressed concern that the institutions were violating the constitution by not promoting ethnic balance and engendering dominance of these institutions by some tribes.

"Tribalism in the education sector is widespread. Most of the universities are dominated by one or two communities a problem that needs to be corrected immediately before the standards are lowered," said Kaparo.

He was speaking in Mombasa during a meeting with the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Cohesion and Equal Opportunities.

Kaparo said there was a need for the teaching fraternity to be universal arguing that it was worrying to see how those institutions have been localized hence propagating ethnicity.

"Public institutions should draw its leadership from anywhere within the country as long as they have qualified," he said.

He added that "There is a school in Bomet where all teaching staff are from one community and the students are divided from two communities within the county. This is something that has to be discouraged because it propagates tribalism".

He said that the Commission together with the Committee will look into that case and come up with ways to ensure that regional balance is maintained in those institutions.

"Why are we so tribal and not thinking about Kenya? Why do we seek safety in tribalism?" posed Kaparo.

Kaparo also revealed that the Commission together with the joint Committee were coming up with measures that will outlaw vernacular speaking in public space.

At the same time, the joint Committee Chairman Johnson Sakaja explained that there were legal gaps within the law that needed to be addressed and tough measures have to be taken in order to have a solid and united country.
"We are saddened by the activities happening in our institution, children being trained on becoming tribal. There is a need for the policy on selection of students to be revised. Institutions where children come from one community deepens ethnicity," warned Sakaja.

Sakaja also noted that the County governments were also not doing much to curb ethnicity arguing that almost 90 per cent of the employees were from dominant communities arguing that there was a need to institute measures that will see the transfer of these employees to different counties.

"Our laws prohibits ethnicity because it is very extensive and I would also want to see more of our leaders talking on cohesion," he said.