Education CS Fred Matiang’i freezes varsity employment

Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i is welcomed by Education stakeholders at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies where he addressed all Vice Chancellors and University Commissioners of all Public Universities on the Growth and Development of Public Universities in the Country 15/11/17 [Moses Omusula/ Standard]

A number of employees in public universities are set to lose jobs in Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i's second phase of higher education reforms.

Part of the reforms will require universities to remit all monies they collect from parallel programmes to the National Treasury and full enforcement of the total ban on construction of satellite campuses.

The Universities Funding Board (UFB) will now manage all monetary disbursements to universities from July next year and quality education will be the key focus of the Government.

Dr Matiang’i made the revelations yesterday during a consultative meeting with top universities' managers.

Many employees

On staff recruitment freeze, Matiangi said many employees would be retired and some more sent home as the Government plans to adopt a contractual tenure regime.

Matiang’i said the Government had banned recruitment of staff in public universities on permanent and pensionable terms, saying it was untenable.

It emerged some universities had hired more staff than they could sustain, pushing them into perpetual cash crises.

He said in one university, the ratio of technical to non-technical staff was 1:58, which was very high.

“The exchequer can no longer afford this. Chairs of council must do a thorough audit of staff establishment. Ask who do you need especially among the technical staff,” said Matiang’i.

A recent audit showed that all the 31 public universities inflated staff data working in their institutions by 2,513.

Initial staff data presented by the universities showed the institutions declared a workforce capacity of 30,312.

But after an audit carried out by the three workers' unions after signing their 2013-2017-pay agreement, the total workers employed by the universities came down to 27,798.

Bad manners

"Staff establishments are very bad in universities. The ratios of technical and non-technical staffs are bad. We must stop these bad manners of hiring everyone on permanent on pensionable terms,” said Matiang’i.

Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua, Higher Education PS Collete Suda, University Funding Board (UFB) chairperson Kinandu Marangu and National treasury representatives were present.

 Commission for University Education chairman Chacha Nyaigoti Chacha and CEO Mwenda Ntarangwi were also present.

Matiang'i said some technical universities inherited staff who were no longer productive in the institutions under the current regime.

He said Technical University of Kenya and Technical University of Mombasa staff would be streamlined by the next financial year.

“How can we hire a person who cuts grass on permanent and pensionable terms? Some of these staff should be paid when they work,” said Matiang’i.

Contract basis

He said academic staff such as tutorial fellows/assistant lecturers and lecturers would be recruited on contract basis.

These staff will be recruited on permanent terms when they hit senior lecturer positions after proving their capabilities.

The reforms, he said, must be effected in the next financial year.

“We have seven months to implement these initiatives. They will be painful but must be undertaken,” he said.

Kinyua and Treasury supported Ministry of Education proposals and asked universities to relook at the concept of part-time lecturers.

Matiang’i said public universities had become employment bureaus exploited by politicians and other pressure groups.

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