Advertise the vacant post of Kirinyaga University VC- Stake holders

Stake holders  and interest  groups  in Kirinyaga County are demanding for the advertisement of  the vacant position of a local University Vice Chancellor in order to have the most qualified  and suitable one recruited .

This follows the expiry   of the outgoing Vice Chancellor Professor  Mary Wambui Ndungu’s    five two year term last  December .

The Kenya Union of  Post Primary Education (KUPPET),  the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT), the University Academic Staff Union (UASU),local interests and pressure groups are  all in agreement  there  is urgent need for someone else  to put new impetus into  the Kirinyaga University.

“Having led the institution for a record ten years since the institution’s inception , Ndungu should exit and allow new blood to take over from where she has reached if the University has to proper ,”said Harrison Muriuki a local educationist .

The VC came into the  public limelight during her first term when she suspended 42 students for four years each regardless of their years of study.

Those suspended were raging from first year’s  first  semester  to finalists last semester for  allegedly boycotting  lectures due to various grievances they wanted their new boss to address  but in vain.

The matter went to court but the affected students ended losing the case for          it was  ruled  that Universities are autonomous and only  the University Councils are mandated    to  handle such matters .

Most of the correspondents addressed to the  affected students were always  signed by the  Acting  Registrar (Academic )Wallace  Kamau , who to this date remains in that position.

The University administration even imposed sanctions against local journalists from ever setting a foot there  and at one time also blocked UASU  officials from seeking audience with Ndungu.

However  due  to  either mediocrity or greed, one “journalist” managed to break the ice and made inroads with Ndungu and “sold out” the reporter who was empathizing and sympathizing  with the suspended comrades .

The said “journalist” and a few of his cronies were however  invited to cover  a function  late last year  when the University received Research equipment valued at Sh 300 million but with  strict instructions  to the security  manning the gate and  Ushers to the venue of the function that 9name withheld ), should never  be allowed in .

The following day one of the said journalist sought from the  victim to explain why there was bad blood between him and the university and the answer ,” since none of you has ever been to a university nor had  a child through university  at the time you cannot understand the pain of the parents whose children were suspended for  four years ,”.

Daniel Karaba who was the then Kirinyaga County Senator and the Education Chairman at the time was blocked  from entering the facility when he tried to intervene   on behalf of the suspected students .

The University despite  being  a publicly funded institution remains firmly guarded  from and public scrutiny  and the  media was also barred from covering  a ceremony after the institution was   chattered  to offer degrees but the  stake  holders  expect the new VC will open up .