This archive report was first published on 20 July 2021.
On July 9, 2021, the University of Nairobi (UoN) council, chaired by Prof Julia Ojiambo, announced a raft of changes aimed at improving efficiency and financial discipline.
The proposed reforms included scrapping the five positions of deputy vice-chancellors (DVCs) and replacing them with two associate vice-chancellors.
Additionally, all colleges were disbanded and their operations reorganised within 11 faculties, led by executive deans and associate deans.
However, Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha stopped the reforms, citing a lack of legal framework and proper procedures.
Magoha stated that any changes to the governance and administrative structures of a public university must comply with the necessary legal framework and be forwarded to the ministry through the Commission for University Education.
The reforms were initiated by Vice-Chancellor Stephen Kiama, who assured that no staff would lose their jobs in the reorganisation.
However, the move has sparked a new battlefront between Magoha and Kiama, barely a year after a legal battle over Kiama's appointment.
The University Act (2012) has no provision for associate VCs, and any changes to the charters or legal notices of constituent colleges must be forwarded to the ministry through CUE before gazettement.
Magoha's decision has left the UoN council in confusion, and the institution's operations may be affected.
