Kenyatta University responds to employment bias, assures MPs of measures to address concerns

The management of Kenyatta University has defended the institution against claims of bias in the recruitment and hiring of foreigners.

The institution has been on the spot over unfair recruitment practices including allegedly picking the majority of its staff from a single community.

Acting Vice Chancellor Waceke Wanjohi said the foreigners including Burjian, German, Polish, Somalis, Cameroonian, Rwandese and Indians were hired as lecturers and for capacity-building purposes.

"Some were for capacity building on curriculum development and others for teaching foreign languages," Prof Waceke said when she appeared before the National Assembly's Cohesion and Equal Opportunities Committee.

The Yussuf Adan Haji led committee said it was wrong for the University to hire foreigners for work that could be performed by Kenyans. "The law only allows employment of foreigners with special skills that Kenyans lack," the MP stressed.

A report that the University submitted to the committee showed that one of the foreigners did not indicate his country of origin.

The committee also took issue with the University's failure to ensure ethnic diversity, insisting that the workforce must be representative and cosmopolitan.

"The institution has demonstrated no goodwill in complying with the law on ethnic balance during employment of staff," Yussuf said during Thursday's session.

Assuring the MPs of measures to address the challenges raised, the Vice Chancellor confirmed the presence of staff aged 70 years and above but indicated all the old employees were lecturers.

They also put her to task over the University's failure to comply with the law on employment of Persons Living with Disability (PWDs) for only hiring 78 PWDs across the main campus and other campuses in the country.

Prof Waceke found herself on the receiving end over claims that PWDs were not applying for the advertised jobs with Kajiado North MP Onesmus Ngoyoyo demanding that the University come up with a policy to guide its recruitment processes.

The committee maintained that employment practices must be fair, transparent and inclusive.