Kenya Universities Staff Union Goes To Court Over Proposed Governance Reforms

Lecturers in Kenya have gone to the country’s High Court to overturn proposed governance reforms at the University of Nairobi.

The Universities Academic Staff Union wants the court to issue a permanent injunction stopping the institution from implementing the reforms announced on July 14.

Vice-chancellor Stephen Kiama and university council chair Julia Ojiambo had initiated the changes meant to eliminate duplication of functions and improve efficiency.

Through lawyer Titus Koceyo, UASU has petitioned the Employment and Labour Relations court to declare that Kiama and the council violated the constitution.

The union has also named Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha, the Public Service Commission (PSC), Attorney-General Kihara Kariuki and Commission for University Education (CUE) as interested parties.

UASU accuses Kiama of pushing for a new model that drastically and fundamentally alters the established and legal structures of the institution by abolishing colleges, schools, institutes, faculties, courses, positions and offices created by the Universities Act No. 42 of 2012.

The union says the VC planned to abolish the School of Pharmacy, Nursing, Medicine, Dentistry and Economics and “unilaterally”, merge institutes and departments.

Further, UASU says the VC has taken away the teaching and training roles from the Institute of Development Studies, leaving the PhD and master’s students with nowhere to go. They also accuse him of abolishing courses without due regard to ongoing studies.

UASU says the university ought to have involved the union, the students’ association, the Education ministry, PSC and CUE in coming up with the reforms.