Inyangala denies knowledge of Council meeting that ratified UoN appointments » Capital News
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 9 — Higher Education Principal Secretary Dr Beatrice Muganda Inyangala has accused University of Nairobi Council Chairperson Prof Amukowa Anangwe of usurping the powers of the university’s governing body by issuing unauthorized appointment letters for key leadership positions.
In a damning statement released Friday, the PS denied knowledged of any University Council meeting convened to deliberate or approve the appointments of Prof Bitange Ndemo as Vice Chancellor and Prof Francis Mulaa as acting Vice-Chancellor in Ndemo’s absence and substantive Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Affairs).
“The Principal Secretary, State Department for Higher Education sits on the University of Nairobi Council. We can therefore firmly confirm that no Council meeting [was] ever convened to discuss and make decisions on appointments at the University of Nairobi,” Inyangala asserted.
The PS said the actions of Prof Anangwe were not only irregular but amounted to a blatant takeover of powers reserved for the full Council and a violation of the Universities Act, 2012.
The Ministry pointed out that under Section 35(1)(a)(v) of the Act, a Council makes appointments to top positions at public universities in consultation with the Cabinet Secretary and through a competitive process overseen by the Public Service Commission.
Inyangala emphasized that the UoN Coucil neither consulted nor informed the ministry of any such process and described the appointments as “purported,” signaling that they hold no legal standing.
“These egregious violations of the law shall not be condoned and will form the basis for appropriate action in due course,” she added, suggesting follow up action.
The Ministry reaffirmed the status of the current acting leadership, led by Prof. Jesang Hutchinson as Vice-Chancellor, and urged adherence to legal and governance frameworks in managing public universities.