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Citizen Weekly

Sunday 30 November 2014

NOT ALL WELL AT MULTI-MEDIA UNIVERSITY

There is are claims that tribalism has become the criteria of promotion at  Multi-Media University.
Starting from the top, the chancellor is Mrs Kimura-a Meru, vice chancellor, Prof Kaberth a Meru, DVC finance Prof Maranga, a Kikuyu, Prof Mbatia DVC academics, a Kikuyu, Mr Nderitu a Kikuyu is the finance officer, Esther acting auditor – a Kisii, Oboch acting registrar administration, a Luo.
All staff in accounts and human resource are controlled by Kikuyus with corporate headed by Mugambi a Meru. Hotel head is Esther a Kikuyu, printing headed by Rutho a Kikuyu, estates headed by Kanyoni a Kikuyu, hostels headed by Muolia a Kamba, Town campus headed by Mwihaki a Kikuyu.
One year down the line nothing seem to move and the musical chairs are the same, it is said.
The only visible sign is the two plaques encoded with the chancellor’s name for ground breaking.
Everybody rejoiced at the change of guard after Prof Oyaria left. Calm has come after the exit of Prof Naituli who was appointed to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that seems dead also. Those who left behind are planning transfers or are dead silent.
As for tenders, all are awarded to a clique of Mt Kenyans led by one Murubi and David Ikiau a procurement officer who owns a mansion at Rongai. The man has been in procurement for over 20 years and seems the reason things are not moving. The borehole tender was awarded to his crony a one Kanyoni who is the estates manager. Kanyoni enjoys a rapport with the VC despite cries from other staff who have a feeling he should not double as an estates officer and a trade unionist chairman. He recently gave a warning letter to his deputy and almost sacked him. Many employees are suffering and living in fear of being sacked. The same Kanyoni at one time was accused of inflating borehole prices and had them dug at exhorbitant prices. Prof Naituli had him removed and the cases have since gone dead.
On the issue of discipline, it is claimed, laws are discriminately applied. A transport officer was found culpubable for having embezzled fuel funds, and spareparts, but the deputy VC finance ordered the security agents to drop the case. There are questions as to where the university bus and salon car are. At the same time when other employees are caught with minor offences the DVC sends them come immediately, it is said.
Appointment to tender committee is tribal and a boardroom issue. The same faces who are responsible for stalling projects in the university are time and again the same in tender committee raising the question how the security chief and legal officer can be on evaluation committees yet they should investigate malpractices.
There is word that the security tender was marred by corruption with a company belonging to powerful senator being awarded. The chief security officer, it is claimed, has been bought a new vehicle as an appreciation for awarding the tender. The other bidders have threatened to go to court over this.
The worst perhaps is the perimeter wall tender. This wall has been done four times and each time corruption is ripe. Currently Kanyoni and Ikiao are believed to have lobbied for their henchmen to award the same to Epco Company who have given them Sh1.8m.
A phone call made from a high source saw the results altered, it is said. Our mole informs us this is going to be a big legal tussle since there is enough evidence to prove there was high handedness. A document was exposed having been a valid one that the council discussed in Mombasa and it had the tender sum of the perimeter wall, this was being displayed or loaded to particular tenderers. An advert was put in a newspaper to scare would- be winners since money had already changed hands, those in the know say.
Most lecturers are running away and resource technology are never paid. There is a problem in the feeding programme such that most students miss their meals. The students have devised a way of printing meal receipts which they use to procure meals. A more subtle and awkward decision was scaring away the hotel manager and replacing him with a diploma holder or who is a Kikuyu. She is believed to have secured the job without due process. The law requires anybody with salary scale 11 and above to be interviewed by the council but this was not the case.
The recent graduation ceremony saw the legal officer differ with the acting registrar administration over the way tents were procured.

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