UoN urged to take action on top official with ‘fake’ papers
The entrance to the University of Nairobi
What you need to know:
- In April, the Employment and Labour Relations Court quashed an advertisement by the University of Nairobi Council that sought to regularise the position alongside 22 others.
- According to the advert, the position would have been at Job Group 17, the same as a deputy vice-chancellor. The case was filed by the Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu).
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has asked the University of Nairobi Council to take administrative action against a senior official it says used a degree that is not recognised in Kenya to secure employment at the institution.
In a letter to the council chairman, Amukowa Anangwe, EACC Chief Executive Twalib Mbarak said the commission has finalised investigations into the appointment of Brian Ouma as Acting Chief Operations Officer at the university since 2021.
Mbarak added that the position is irregular since the council created it without varying its statutory instruments to align with the charter of the higher learning institution as required by the Universities Act (2012).
In April, the Employment and Labour Relations Court quashed an advertisement by the University of Nairobi Council that sought to regularise the position alongside 22 others.
According to the advert, the position would have been at Job Group 17, the same as a deputy vice-chancellor. The case was filed by the Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu).
The EACC boss said in the letter that investigations revealed Ouma has a Bachelor of Philosophy degree from Apostles of Jesus Philosophicum Major Seminary in Lang’ata, Nairobi County.
The seminary is affiliated with the Pontifical Urbaniana University (PUU) in Rome, Italy, but is not in the list of institutions recognised by the Commission for University Education (CUE).
“Ouma obtained a mean grade of C- (minus) in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination and thus, did not have the necessary qualifications for direct entry to university to undertake a degree programme in Kenya,” the letter reads.
“The CUE confirmed that, as of 2003 and under the provisions of (criteria for accreditation) Rule 14 of the Universities (Establishment of Universities) (Standardisation, Accreditation and Supervision) Rules, 1989 [L.N. 56/1989, L.N. 160/2002], PUU was not an accredited institution in Kenya and, therefore, the certificate awarded by PUU is not recognised in Kenya.”
The position held by Ouma is not new to controversy. Then-Vice Chancellor Stephen Kiama terminated Ouma’s appointment as acting COO following the court ruling.
Four days later, Prof Anangwe announced that the council had sent Prof Kiama on leave but he stayed put.
The council finally terminated Prof Kiama’s contract on September 27, 2024.
