UoN gets new acting VC amid leadership wrangles

Acting vice chancellor UoN , Prof Francis Mulaa.  [Wilberforce Okwwiri, Standard]

The University of Nairobi (UoN) has appointed Prof. Francis Jackim Mulaa as the Acting Vice Chancellor, stepping into the role for a six-month period starting May 5, 2025.

This latest reshuffle adds to the ongoing puzzle surrounding leadership at UoN which has been marked by a string of acting appointments, delayed confirmations, and backroom maneuvering.

In the last two years, the institution has cycled through multiple acting VCs, raising questions about succession planning, governance, and political interference.

The appointment of Mulaa, confirmed through a letter signed by Prof. Amuloa Anangwe, Chair of the University of Nairobi Council, comes amid controversy over the appointment of a substantive Vice Chancellor.

Prof. Mulaa, who currently serves as Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs, takes over from Prof. Margaret Jesang Hutchinson, whose acting tenure ended this week.

The Council said the move was necessary to “preempt an administrative vacuum”

Mulaa will be acting until the confirmation of the substantive VC.

According to the University Council, former ICT Permanent Secretary and academic Prof. Elijah Bitange Ndemo is set to be the next Vice Chancellor of the institution.

A document seen by the Standard reveals that the professor emerged the top candidate for the job according to the university council, following interviews for the top post conducted by the Public Service Commission (PSC).

University Council Chairperson, Prof. Amukowa Anangwe, has called on Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba to finalise the appointment process.

“The Chairperson of the University of Nairobi Council appoints Prof. Elijah Bitange Ndemo, ID/NO. 382824, as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi with effect from 2nd May, 2025, subject to ratification by the Council,” the letter reads.

Anangwe, in the appointment of Mulaa said Prof. Elijah Bitange Ndemo is currently preparing to assume the substantive Vice Chancellor role once he concludes his diplomatic assignment as Kenya’s Ambassador to Belgium.