Sudden Shake-Up at University of Nairobi: Council Axed Amid Scandal
A sweeping leadership crisis hit the University of Nairobi (UoN) this April, when Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba kicked out four key council members, making headlines across Kenyaâs academic world. Sally Toroitich, Ahmed Abdullahi, Parmain Ole Narikae, and Carren Kerubo Omwengaâall senior figures in the university councilâwere handed immediate termination letters under the powers set out in the Universities Act. This was not just a routine shuffle; the move came right as UoN had been grappling with furious demands for change from its own lecturers and mounting pressure for accountability at the very top.
For months, UoN had seen growing unrest. Lecturers had become increasingly vocalâsome even threatened sit-insâarguing that the council was failing on transparency and good governance. When CS Ogamba axed these four, he cited legal authority but didnât mince words about discontent bubbling inside the university. It wasnât just about personalities; it was about the way the council was handling money, appointments, and basic management. Some faculty accused the council of operating in a bubble, out of touch with what staff and students really needed.
Legal Tussles and Whispers of Corruption
This power struggle at UoN didnât come out of nowhere. Just a month prior, Prof Amukowa Anangwe, the then council chair, found himself out of a job after Ogamba dismissed him on unclear grounds. But the drama didnât stop there. A Nairobi court slapped a hold on Anangweâs ouster, buying him a few weeks as legal battles played out behind the scenes. But with the spotlight glaring, allegations surfacedâEACC investigators zeroed in on Anangwe for suspected irregular payments and fraud involving council reappointments, especially linked to a high-profile incident involving payments to Brian Ouma.
The court fight finally fizzled out when Anangwe simply left, resigning at the end of May and leaving behind a lot of unanswered questions about who really calls the shots at Kenyaâs top university. His resignation wasnât just about his own positionâit triggered a domino effect among the universityâs leadership, laying bare the deep splits and mistrust between management and council members.
Acting Vice-Chancellor Margaret Hutchinson stepped in to steer the university, but the turbulence didnât let up. Staff unions and the University of Nairobi Professors Association kept up mediation efforts, and even State House officials tried smoothing things over, hoping to restore a sense of normalcy.
But then came a twist no one saw coming: the four dismissed council members found themselves instantly appointed to other public university boards. Sally Toroitich went to the University of Embu, Parmain Ole Narikae switched to the University of Eldoret, while Carren Kerubo Omwenga landed at Karatina Universityâall with their terms set to last until May 2026. Ahmed Abdullahi, however, hasnât been mentioned in any new role yet, raising eyebrows about how these appointments are really made and what criteria counts most.
- The fast-tracked reshuffling suggests the government wanted to avoid public wrangling that could spill into other campuses.
- For many, these moves feel like a game of musical chairs at the expense of real reform or accountability.
If youâre following the story, the University of Nairobi is still dealing with deep-rooted issues that go way beyond a few council shake-ups. Thereâs a simmering distrust between university managers and their overseers, with everyone from lecturers to state officials getting involved. The question now isnât just about who sits in leadership, but whether real change is even possible in a system this tangled.
Karthik Nadig
July 22, 2025 AT 18:16The cabal behind UoN is just another pawn in the global power game! đĄđľď¸ââď¸
Charlotte Hewitt
August 17, 2025 AT 05:40Looks like the Ministry is just pulling strings behind the scenes, shuffling council chairs like a deck of cards while ignoring real academic freedom.
Jane Vasquez
September 11, 2025 AT 17:03Oh wow, another âreformâ that smells like fresh paint on a cracked wall :)
They toss a few council members out and then magically place them on other boards like musical chairs, as if that solves any deepârooted corruption.
Meanwhile, the lecturers keep chanting for transparency, but the powers that be just smile and wave a dismissal letter.
The whole saga feels like a scripted drama where the protagonists never learn their lines.
Letâs be real, the Ministryâs âlegal authorityâ is just a convenient excuse to keep the status quo intact.
Anyone who believes this will magically fix the system is living in a fantasy world.
And the courtâs brief hold on the chairâs ouster? Pure theater, nothing more.
Even the acting viceâchancellor is thrust into the spotlight, yet every decision seems predetermined.
Itâs almost as if the entire university is a pawn in a larger political chess game, with students and staff as mere spectators.
Weâve seen the same pattern over and over: phrase âaccountabilityâ while appointing the same faces elsewhere.
If you ask me, the only real accountability is to the publicâs patience wearing thin.
And letâs not forget the mysterious Ahmed Abdullahi whoâs mysteriously missing from the new appointments â thatâs the kind of silence that screams âsomethingâs upâ.
In short, the whole episode is a masterclass in how NOT to handle institutional reform.
Wake up, folks, before the next âreâshuffleâ lands us back where we started. đ
Hartwell Moshier
September 25, 2025 AT 14:40I think the university needs stable leadership its staff want clear rules and some honesty
Jay Bould
October 8, 2025 AT 08:30Hey everyone, just wanted to add a friendly note â change is always tough, but letâs remember that collaboration across cultures can bring fresh ideas to the table. From my experience in India we often see communityâdriven solutions thriving even when bureaucracy stalls. So maybe the UoN can look beyond politics and tap into the diverse expertise of its own faculty and students. Unity and open dialogue usually pave the way for lasting reforms.