UoN Leadership Crisis Ends in Resignations: Council Chair Prof Anangwe and Two Members Quit.
Prof Amukowa Anangwe, the embattled chairperson of the University of Nairobi (UoN) council, has officially resigned, marking the culmination of a protracted governance standoff. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba confirmed receipt and acceptance of Prof Anangwe’s resignation, alongside that of two other council members, on Monday afternoon.
Flashnews.co.ke has revealed the behind-the-scenes engagements, involving the University of Nairobi Professors’ Association (UoNPA) and the Office of the President, which were critical in dismantling the deadlock between the university council and the Ministry of Education. The departure of Prof Anangwe paves the way for new leadership at the university.
The turning point came after Prof Anangwe, Dr Ahmed Sheikh, and Carren Kerubo were arrested and charged on May 16, 2025, with abuse of office. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) accused them of illegally reappointing Brian Ouma as Chief Operations Officer. Mr Ouma was similarly arrested and arraigned for unlawfully obtaining Sh32 million in salaries through roles for which the EACC claims he lacked proper qualifications.
These developments followed a promise by CS Ogamba on May 9, 2025, made while visiting Dedan Kimathi University of Technology, where he assured the public that UoN’s challenges would be resolved “within a week”. Although the resignation letters were written on May 23, they were only delivered after Ogamba returned from an overseas trip.
The UoN Professors’ Association played a central role in steering the council members toward resignation. According to UoNPA chair Prof Peter Wasamba, the association initially formed a seven-member mediation committee to engage both the council and the Ministry of Education. When these efforts failed, they escalated the issue to the Office of the President and secured a meeting with Head of Public Service Felix Kosgey.
Prof Wasamba reported that during their meeting on May 22, 2025, Mr Kosgey issued a firm message to be relayed to Prof Anangwe and the other council members. While the precise message remains undisclosed, a source present implied that the council had no viable alternative but to step down.
It was evident that growing discontent among faculty members over Prof Anangwe’s leadership and the negative attention it attracted to the institution had become unsustainable. A senior member of the mediation team revealed that Anangwe’s rigid stance had alienated many and compromised the council’s credibility.
The resignation came against a backdrop of internal government conflict. On the same day CS Ogamba vowed to restore order at UoN, Higher Education Principal Secretary Dr Beatrice Inyangala issued a public statement disassociating the Ministry from the council’s controversial decisions, including the alleged appointments of Prof Bitange Ndemo as Vice Chancellor and the replacement of Prof Margaret Hutchinson with Prof Francis Mulaa.
Dr Inyangala asserted that there had been no formal consultations between the university council and the Ministry. She emphasized that the Principal Secretary, being a member of the council, could confirm that no legitimate meetings had been convened to authorize such appointments. She characterized the council’s actions under Prof Anangwe as a blatant usurpation of authority and warned that such infractions would not be tolerated.
The University Academic Staff Union (UASU), which had previously clashed with the council, welcomed the resignations. Dr Maloba Wekesa, UASU’s UoN chapter secretary, termed the resignations overdue and stressed that they came after inflicting significant institutional damage. He insisted that future council members should embody integrity and selflessness, qualities he argued were lacking in the outgoing leadership.
In his statement, Dr Wekesa expressed skepticism about the timing of the resignations, cautioning that they should not serve as bargaining tools in the ongoing legal cases. He concluded that Anangwe and his colleagues should face full prosecution as a deterrent for future governance failures.
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Meanwhile, Mr Kosgey praised the meeting with UoNPA, saying their input would contribute meaningfully to reforms in higher education governance. He reiterated the government’s dedication to restoring stability at UoN.
CS Ogamba, in a candid comment during a closed-door meeting, was heard saying that the government had reached a point where there was no option left but to replace the council for the sake of restoring institutional integrity.
With the departure of Prof Anangwe and his allies, the Ministry of Education is now expected to initiate the appointment of a new council to steer the University of Nairobi toward recovery and reform.
UoN Leadership Crisis Ends in Resignations: Council Chair Prof Anangwe and Two Members Quit