List of Universities Where Tribe is Key in Employment
List of Universities Where Tribe is Key in Employment. Kenya’s “rural universities” are meant to be nationally representative and introduce students to worldviews, but they turn out to be ethnic.
18 universities emerged as the worst offenders as these institutions recruited 80% of their staff from the same community, especially those opened in districts lobbied by local political leaders.
Older universities also have ethnically restricted institutions, with employment rates ranging from 40% to 77% of employees from the same community.
At least ten current and former students from various universities report poor service and reduced use of regional languages by staff at work. The influence of the nation is most felt outside the lectures, in the dormitory and the administrative office.
The Vice Chancellor of Daystar University, Professor Laban Ayiro has warned against the academic takeover of education in Kenya’s public universities, removing mandates and giving way to mediocrity.
Destroying meritocracy, he said, is inviting unqualified people to seek office. Prof. Ayiro said some secondary schools lacked learning and research because of “centrism and ethnicity”.
People from different ethnic groups supervise students for master’s and doctoral degrees. They cannot win grants or write competitive proposals.
According to the Auditor General’s List of Shame, 61% of staff at Moi University, one of Kenya’s oldest institutions of higher learning, are from the same community.
University leaders claim to have inherited staff from the reformed academy, but studies have found that even in recent meetings, many still hire people from their hometowns.
In 2019/20, the Auditor General selected Kirinyaga University to have 77% of its staff from the district’s dominant ethnic community. This is the worst reported situation in any public university.
According to the Auditor General, 331 out of 440 employees at Kibabii University are from the majority community in the district.
Dedan Kimathi University of Science and Technology (DeKUT) in Kenya was established in 2012 and currently employs 556 staff. Unfortunately, most of the workers (67%) are from the dominant community.
The status of the university is mainly due to the legacy of the staff of the former Kimathi Institute of Technology. Furthermore, the location of the university in Nyeri is not considered an attractive destination for those from other areas, which contributes to this scenario.
To overcome this problem, DeKUT introduced a graduate assistance program to attract students from other regions and communities. The University hopes that these students will eventually become employees and contribute to the diversity of the workforce.
Similarly, the Meru Science and Technology Council is similar in terms of ethnic staff diversity.
Prof. Romanus Odhiambo believes that the legacy of former sailors and the attractiveness of the university’s location are the main reasons for this absence.
According to the National Inclusion and Integration Commission (NCIC) Act 2008, NGOs in Kenya must ensure that the work of their staff reflects the diversity of Kenyan society.
No more than a third of its employees are from the same ethnic community. NCIC Commissioner Danwas Makori believes that politicians from the region where the university is located are responsible for solving the problem.
Politicians in mainstream society support hiring local people when staff or senior managers are recruited from other areas. This practice allows institutions to continue learning and protects them from liability.
NCIC is currently conducting research to address this issue and may take some agencies to court if remedies are not found.
Peter Kioni, WC professor at DeKUT, is of the opinion that education helps to make many workers from the community employable and competent.
However, Commissioner McCory believes diversity is important to universities because it provides a broader talent pool and exposure.
List of Universities Where Tribe is Key in Employment