How appointments in most public varsities have smacked ethnicity

From the look of things, one cannot help wonder where Kenya is headed to following revelations that public universities and state-sponsored colleges have continued to violate laws on equal employment opportunities. This is in spite of the efforts the government has made to end negative ethnicity.

According to the latest study on ethnic diversity and representation in 34 public universities, only five have compiled with the law on equal ethnic representation in the employment of staff. The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) report comes days after elected leaders in Rift Valley stormed Moi University in Eldoret to protest the appointment of Prof Laban Ayiro as acting vice-chancellor.

The Ethnic and Diversity Audit of Public Universities and Constituent Colleges report is the second ethnic audit of public universities and constituent colleges and reveals that four ethnic groups have been completely locked out of employment in all the 31 institutions of higher learning.

It has been revealed that University of Nairobi, Multimedia University, Technical University College of Kenya and Nakuru based Egerton University are the only ones that have compiled with National Cohesion and Integration Act.

This law that came into force in 2008 requires that no public institution shall employ more than one third of staff from one ethnic group. It complements other diversity legislation provided in Article 10; 27 and 232 of the Constitution and other public service policies.

According to the latest study, Kirinyaga University ranks top in ethnic imbalance in staffing with 82.7 per cent of staff coming from the Kikuyu community, Kibabii University where 79 per cent of staff are Luhya, Murang‘a University College with 76.1 per cent are Kikuyu, while Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology has 75.1 per cent Luo.

The report also shows a strong correlation between the ethnic group of the vice-chancellor or the principal and the majority tribe of the senior staff.

Indeed, it‘s clear that top public universities –Kenyatta University, Maseno University, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and the University of Eldoret, Moi University have failed to meet minimum requirements of ethnic diversity. Moi University which has been in the limelight over the recruitment of the vice-chancellor has 60.6 per cent of its 3,196 members of staff from the Kalenjin community.

This report comes out at a time when the Ministry of Education plans to introduce stringent measures in hiring top university officials to end manipulation that could favor certain candidates.

The study further indicates that the largest ethnic group recruited in combined employment of all universities and constituent colleges is the Kikuyu which forms 23.6 per cent. This is unfair to the Turkana, Maasai, Kenyan Somalis and Mijikenda who are are underrepresented. It is for this reason all should be done to ensure that universities comply with the NCI Act section 7 (2).