Governor Obado, Senator Ayacko accused of meddling in Masinde Muliro University VC hiring

National Assembly Majority Whip Emanuel Wangwe has accused Governor Okoth Obado and Senator Ochilo Ayacko of  meddling in the recruitment of vice chancellor and deputy vice chancellors at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology.

Mr Wangwe, who is also the Navakholo MP, claimed the two leaders had created and spread fake news on the appointments, warning that attempts to impose an unqualified candidate at the institution will be resisted.

“Our colleagues should distance politics from universities and stop provoking us to the point we are trying to avoid,” the MP said during a press conference at Parliament Buildings.

The Public Service Commission has restarted the process of filing the four positions even though there is an active court case challenging the process

The Public Service Commission has interviewed candidates for the position of the vice chancellor, deputy vice chancellor (Academic and Students Affairs), DVC Planning, Research and Innovation between August 10 and 13.

Among those interviewed for the position of VC are acting VC Solomon Shibairo, Prof Sibilikhe Makhanu, Prof Joseph Chacha, Prof Kenneth Simala, Prof Mary Avukutsa, Prof Peter Mwita and Prof Paul Shiundu.

Once the PSC completes the interviewing, it will hand the names of three top candidates to the university council to make the appointment in consultation with Education Cabinet Secretary George Magoha.

The institution has operated without substantive leadership for 32 months after the expiry of Prof Frederick Otieno’s tenure as VC in November 2018.

Efforts to fill the positions have been dogged by a flurry of litigations, most of which are at various levels of hearing in courts of law.

Mr Wangwe told journalists that both Mr Obado and Mr Ayacko had published social posts that suggest that PSC had settled on Prof Chacha and had picked him to lead the university.

“What is impermissible is that leaders who are interfering with the process are from far flung areas,” the MP said, even as he rejected claims that leaders from western are pushing for one of their own to run the university.

“Our silence is not and must not be deemed to mean we cannot defend our own. It’s because we trust and believe in transparent processes,” he added, vowing to resist attempts by outsiders to influence the outcome of the recruitment process.