Uncertainty over graduation as row over VC’s tenure rages

Outgoing Masinde Muliro University Vice Chancellor Fredrick Otieno. [File, Standard]

Confusion hangs over Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) 13th graduation as contracts for some of the top officials expire.

Already, the position of Vice Chancellor Fredrick Otieno, whose term lapsed yesterday, has been advertised ahead of the December 14 ceremony.

The university council has been caught up in the mire. Some members have disowned a letter written to Prof Otieno by Council chairman Jeremy Bundi requiring him to hand over the office by yesterday.

Smooth running

“The decisions being made is not a true representation of council members. We refuse to be used as a rubber stamp in decisions that will affect the smooth running of the university,” said a member who sought anonymity.

The letter dated November 19 reads: “Prof (Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academics and Students Affairs Josephine) Ngaira and yourself (Vice Chancellor) cannot legally preside over the 13th MMUST graduation on December 14 as your respective contracts have or will have expired.”

The letter further states: “It’s also important to remind you that your contract lapses on November 30, 2018. You cease to be an employee of MMUST from December 1, 2018 unless the council advices otherwise.”

Ngaira’s term came to an end on October 14. Prof Egara Kabaji, the DVC in charge of Planning, Research and Innovations (PRI) is the only senior official at the institution whose term is yet to expire. Kabaji’s term expires in about two months on January 23.

Already, the Labour and Relations Court in Kisumu has stopped the recruitment of the DVC Finance and Administration after a petitioner challenged the shortlisting of five of the 24 applicants. All the five applicants from MMUST were not in the list.

Earlier, Dr Bundi had dismissed claims by a section of the university council that he was fighting for the removal of Prof Otieno for personal gains, arguing the woes facing the VC have no bearing to the top decision making body. “As council chairman, I would like to categorically state that I have no personal interests at all. All the allegations levelled against me and the council are fictiocious and ill founded,” he said.

Leadership crisis

In a press briefing yesterday, University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) chairman Robinson Oduma, Kenya Universities Staff Union (Kusu)’s Onzere Mulongo and their Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (Kudheiha) counterpart Edwin Wafula claimed the Ministry of Education has plans to renew Otieno’s term.

“As employees of MMUST, we have learnt that the ministry intends to extend the tenure of the VC,” said Mulongo.

Yesterday, the university’s Director of Public Communications Dennis Ochieno said there was no leadership crisis at the institution and that the graduation would go on.

“The unions are saying they know the ministry will renew the VC’s term though we are perturbed over where they are getting such information,” said Dr Ochieno.

According an advertisement published in the dailies yesterday, the University Council has declared vacant the position of the Vice Chancellor and that of Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academics and Student’s Affairs. Applicants for the position of VC are expected to be full professors with 15 years working experience whereas those for the DVC position are supposed to have 10 years’ experience.

Prof Otieno’s term has been dogged by controversy. The university’s chapters of workers unions have been pushing for his replacement, accusing him of mismanagement.

But in several correspondence with the unions, Prof Otieno has proclaimed his innocence, claiming he was a victim of some people pushing to have their own at the helm.

 Otieno has blamed his woes on cartels he flushed out of the university when he took over as VC on December 1, 2013 were using the unions to fight him back. “I flushed out a racket of cartels at Finance department, office of the dean of students and in the administration. They are fighting to have my term not renewed,” he said.