Recruitment of vice-chancellors in Kenya is a painstaking and delicate process that comes with a constellation of parties, court cases, and bumpiness that leave public universities in the hands of acting officials for years.
The University of Nairobi has just named Prof Ayub Gitau as the substantive vice-chancellor (VC) taking over from Stephen Kiama who left in September 2024. Prof Margret Jesang Hutchinson had been acting during the period after Prof Bitange Ndemo declined the position, saying his appointment was unprocedural.
At Kenyatta University (KU), Prof John Okumu, who is acting in the role after Prof Paul Wainaina left in March, has emerged the leading candidate in the interviews to pick the VC.
Other public institutions without the substantive VC are Maseno and Moi universities, revealing a pattern of turbulence in succession at these schools that the government relies on to produce personnel and conduct research.
What could be wrong with the appointment of VCs in Kenya?
We sat down with Dr Ben Chumo, the former KU council chairman, in an effort to make sense of this top post.
A human resource (HR) professional, Dr Chumo, says succession at universities should be flawless if left to the council, adding that by the time a VC is retiring or leaving the helm, the deputy vice-chancellors should all be ready to take over.
“The success of any institution, such as the university, is the state of the people running that university,” Dr Chumo said, adding that as an HR professional he believes in building internal “leadership pipeline”.
It is a misstep, he said, that recruitment of the VCs is being “outsourced” through the involvement of the Public Service Commission (PSC), the government arm that hires civil servants in Kenya.
Involving the PSC in the recruitment of the VC was “peculiar to Kenya”, Dr Chumo observed, pointing out that such an arrangement gives both the position holder and the council excuse to underperform.
It is difficult to hold the VC accountable since the council was not the ultimate appointing authority while the council also knows the university CEO was imposed on them.
“That law [on PSC role] should be repealed so that the council can recruit their own CEO; the VC is their Number One employee,” he said.
“The council should never outsource the recruitment of a vice-chancellor; universities are the only State corporations in Kenya that outsource that function; [at other parastatals], the boards hire the CEO, they only send the names to the minister for concurrence,” he said, adding that the minister has no power to reject the council’s list of three top candidates.
Through competitive recruitment there will be a pipeline from which to pick a successor since the DVCs are exposed to board work when the vice-chancellor is on leave.
Currently, the university council prepares the draft criteria for hiring the VC, presents it to the Ministry of Education for endorsement before it is passed to the PSC for vacancy advertising.
However, he pokes holes in this arrangement that is akin to “open tender… which is not the right thing.”
Advertising the position of a vice-chancellor, Dr Chumo told A Plain, is a statement that the council has no succession plan, adding it is “an indictment that there is no succession plan”.
He reiterated: “There must be a deliberate plan by the top leadership of the university to have a leadership development programme… so that every position; the vice-chancellor, the DVCs, the professors, the departments and lecturers, there must be three people who are ready now, ready next year, and ready the year after in the event a vacancy arises.”
According to Dr Chumo, who is a former CEO of Kenya Power, a university is “unique” and requires continuity to thrive by having the right people who have learnt the culture of the institution and only during “rare opportunities”, like after acquisitions, should someone come from outside.
Bypassing top leaders such as the DVC is one of the ways of forcing them to start thinking about running their own businesses, believing they were less appreciated than the talent coming from elsewhere.
Had he stayed longer at KU, Dr Chumo says he planned to introduce the position of deputy vice-chancellor (DVC) in charge of Human Resources to elevate talent development and deliver top results in teaching, research, and community service.
“If you have not trained your people enough, then there is nowhere you are going,” he said, adding that at many institutions the HR development budget is “mere pocket change”.
Universities need future-ready managers, he observed, who appreciate technological advancements and are innovative to embrace global standards such as open and distance education without rely on brick and mortar for admissions at a time government funding was dwindling.
“If the leadership of the university is threatened by technology, then there is a challenge,’’ he warned, urging for more youthful people who understand the future in top roles.
