Prof Amukowa Anangwe has resigned as University of Nairobi Council Chairman.
Prof Amukowa Anangwe, the beleaguered chair of the University of Nairobi (UoN) council, has finally thrown in the towel and resigned.
His letter of resignation was received and accepted by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba on Monday afternoon.
The Nation can now reveal the behind-the-scenes negotiations and arm-twisting involving the UoN Professors Association as well as State House that finally brought to an end a long-drawn dispute between the council and the Ministry of Education, paving the way for appointment of a new team to manage the university.
Prof Amukowa Anangwe.
Mr Ogamba confirmed to Nation that he had received Prof Anangwe’s resignation letter alongside two other members of the council. We have also established that the letters were written on Friday but could not be delivered to Mr Ogamba since he was out of the country.
Promise to resolve UoN crisis
On May 9, 2025, Mr Ogamba — while at Dedan Kimathi University of Technology — had promised that he would solve the problems at UoN "within a week".
Seven days later, on May 16, 2025, Prof Anangwe and two council members — Dr Ahmed Sheikh and Carren Kerubo — were arrested and charged by detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) on allegations of abuse of office in the unlawful reappointment of Brian Ouma as Chief Operations Officer at the UoN.
Mr Ouma was also arrested and charged in court for allegedly unlawfully acquiring Sh32 million he received as salary for the positions of deputy director (fundraising, donor relations and partnership), directorate of university advancement, director advancement and acting chief operations officer, positions the EACC says he’s not qualified to hold.
Seven days later, on May 23, 2025, Prof Anangwe and and his co-accused have resigned. However, Nation has learnt CS Ogamba did not act alone in forcing them to exit, and that other professors and State House were involved.
The University of Nairobi Professors’ Association (UoNPA) was instrumental in convincing Prof Anangwe, Dr Sheikh and Ms Kerubo to relinquish their positions in the council.
UoNPA chair Peter Wasamba confirmed that the association had been involved in trying to find a solution to governance issues at the university.
“We were mediating between the council and the Ministry of Education. At first, we were a committee of seven professors but later included others. When we were unable to find a solution, we escalated the matter to the Office of the President and sought audience with the Head of Public Service Felix Kosgey,” he told Nation.
'No option but to resign'
The UoNPA met Mr Kosgey on Thursday May 22 2025 at his office. It is after that meeting that Mr Kosgey sent them with a message to deliver to Prof Anangwe and the two other remaining members of the council. Sources who attended the meeting were reluctant to reveal the exact details of the message. One source said that the council “didn’t have an option but to resign”.
University of Nairobi (UoN) council chair Prof Amukowa Anangwe and other council members in court on May 16, 2025.
There was a feeling among the professors that the hardline stance taken by Prof Anangwe was negatively affecting their reputation and that of the university.
“UoNPA paid me a courtesy call for a constructive discussion on university governance. I appreciated the intellectual rigour and insights that will inform ongoing efforts in policy and institutional strengthening. I assured them of the government's commitment towards streamlining matters University of Nairobi,” Mr Kosgey said.
On same day, Mr Ogamba said he would solve UoN problems within a week, the Principal Secretary for Higher Education Beatrice Inyangala issued a terse press statement on the management problems plaguing UoN. In the press statement, she disowned action taken by the council including the appointment of Prof Bitange Ndemo as vice chancellor of the university and replacing of Prof Margaret Hutchinson with Prof Francis Mulaa as the acting VC.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Ministry of Education confirms that there were no consultations between the University of Nairobi council and the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Education on any of the purported appointments,” said Dr Inyangala in the statement.
Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala appears before National Assembly Public Accounts Committee at Bunge Tower in Nairobi on March 25, 2025.
“The Principal Secretary, State Department for Higher Education sits on the University of Nairobi Council. We can therefore firmly confirm that no council meeting was ever convened to discuss and make decisions on appointments at the University of Nairobi, prior to the issuance of the purported letters of appointment by the chairperson of the University of Nairobi council,” she said.
Dr Inyangala condemned the actions by Prof Anangwe as a "clear usurpation of the role of the council" and warned that the violations would not be tolerated.
The University Academic Staff Union, which has also been at loggerheads with the council, welcomed their exit.
“The resignation by the council chair and his remaining two members is a belated move that has cost the university damage that will take time to repair. UoN council is a preserve for those who are altruistic and conscientious. We call upon the CS Education to seek Kenyans who merit the scale of selfless magnanimity to fill the council. UASU hopes the resignation was not in any way used as a leverage for the court cases against this former disgraced council. As a lesson for the future, Prof Anangwe and his group should be prosecuted to the maximum limit of justice,” the UoN chapter secretary Dr Maloba Wekesa.
