Why university appointments must be freed from bad politics

[Photo: Courtesy]

Recent news reports of a leaked ‘confidential score’ of candidates being considered for the position of vice chancellor in a public university were unprecedented.

The contents, which were never publicly denied, offered interesting yet disturbing insights on the governance of public universities in Kenya. While it laid bare the toxic ethnic frames that often undercut Kenya’s welfare, it also raised fundamental issues of inclusion, justice and the actual role of university councils in the (mis)governance of universities. While the saga raises serious moral and ethical concerns, it also provided an opportunity for the interrogation of governance in universities, and the extent to which internal leadership and university governance is a function of the wider democratic health of the country.