The hallowed halls of Kenya’s premier institution of higher learning are now corridors of controversy.
The University of Nairobi, once the pride of the nation’s education system, stands on the precipice of institutional paralysis amid a perfect storm of corruption allegations, leadership wrangles, and governance failures.
Raid and Allegations: EACC Closes In
On Thursday, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) executed a dramatic search operation at the home and office of Brian Ouma, the acting Chief Operations Officer and Director of University Advancement and Institutional Development.
The raid marks an escalation in the Commission’s investigation into “high-value scandals” that have engulfed the institution.
“The search has yielded significant evidential material,” the EACC stated, confirming that Ouma was escorted to their offices to record a statement regarding alleged unexplained personal benefits totaling Sh12 million received between 2019 and 2024.
An EACC insider, speaking to the media revealed: “We’re looking at transactions that lack any supporting documentation to justify the payments. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Council Under Siege
The day before the raid, the entire University Council was summoned to appear before the EACC.
Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof. Margaret Hutchinson promptly notified Council Chair Prof. Amukowa Anangwe of the summons, but the Council requested a two-week extension, citing “fair administrative practice.”
This request effectively meant the Council failed to appear at Integrity Centre as directed.
Council members facing investigation include:
– Prof. Amukowa Anangwe (Chair)
– Prof. Margaret Hutchinson (Acting VC)
– Dr. Parmain ole-Narikae
– Dr. Kenrick Ayot
– Joel Kibe
– Carren Omwenga
– Ahmed Sheikh Abdullahi
They are under scrutiny for allegedly receiving irregular personal payments from university funds.
Land Scandals and Vanishing Millions
Beyond personal enrichment allegations, the EACC is investigating potentially devastating institutional fraud involving university lands and construction projects.
Multiple university-owned properties across Nairobi and beyond are allegedly being illegally acquired or leased to private individuals, including:
– 10 acres at Kanyariri Farm
– 40 acres behind ANP hostels in Loresho
– 100 acres at Kibwezi Field Station
– 20 acres leased to Shamba Cafe Hotel in Loresho Ridge
– Six acres adjacent to Dusit Hotel
– A parcel in Spring Valley near a shopping center
Perhaps most alarming is the stalled Engineering and Science Complex project.
The EACC alleges that over Sh100 million was spent “largely on allowances and feasibility studies, with no tangible work on site,” pointing to procurement irregularities and possible embezzlement.
In another financial scandal, the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences is under investigation for unexplained payments totaling Sh76 million to external service providers and staff allowances over a four-year period.
Leadership Vacuum and Power Struggles
The governance crisis at UoN is exacerbated by the absence of a substantive Vice-Chancellor.
Though the Public Service Commission conducted interviews for the position last month, the Council has yet to make an appointment.
This leadership vacuum has created fertile ground for factional battles.
Prof. Hutchinson advised against a Council meeting scheduled for yesterday, citing the ongoing EACC investigations.
Meanwhile, Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) officials threatened to disrupt the meeting, demonstrating the deepening internal divisions.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has intervened twice to revoke Council appointments, only to be thwarted by court orders granting temporary relief to the current Council.
The CS has also denied the Council’s request to hold special meetings, citing the Auditor-General’s report which flagged irregular meetings exceeding the number allowed in the university charter.
“The Worst Apathy Ever Witnessed”
UASU has now called for the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to join the probe, with Chapter Secretary Dr. Maloba Wekesa delivering a scathing indictment of the Council’s “overreach.”
“These include bizarre and irregular direct operational involvement in staff transfers, vindictive suspensions, and patronage-driven contract extensions,” Dr. Wekesa charged.
“This overreach has disregarded the established separation of powers between the Council and the accounting officer — the vice-chancellor.”
The result, according to the union, is “the worst apathy in staff motivation ever witnessed at the University of Nairobi.”
As investigations intensify and leadership battles continue, the University of Nairobi faces its gravest crisis in decades.
The intertwined scandals threaten not just the institution’s finances and governance but its very credibility as Kenya’s flagship university.
With the EACC demanding original payment documents, meeting minutes, and attendance registers dating back to 2022, and both the Education Ministry and UASU applying pressure from different angles, the coming weeks will be critical for the institution’s future.
For now, Kenya’s premier university remains caught between corruption allegations, administrative paralysis, and turf wars that threaten to tear apart what was once the crown jewel of the nation’s education system.
