MKU terms the Kiambu law on job employment quota retrogressive.
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| MKU Chairman Prof. Simon Gicharu (left) flanked by Board of Directors member Jane Nyutu and Council Chairman Prof David Seremthe on arrival at the graduation arena during the University’s 13th graduation ceremony held at MKU Pavilion on Friday. |
A section of the Mount Kenya University (MKU) leadership has
faulted a motion passed by the Kiambu County Assembly to compel all public and
private institutions within its jurisdiction to ensure that at least 70% of its
workforce constitute of locals (read Kikuyus).
Led by Chairman of its Board of Directors Prof. Simon
Gicharu during the institution’s 13th Graduation Ceremony, the
leaders termed this law as retrogressive and in bad spirit of nationhood.
“This motion was ill-advised and does not promote national
integration. It is advisable when is implementing some of these policies
to allow diversity and competence to override all other interests. National integration
can never be achieved if we restrict our people to only live and word in their
areas of origin,” said Prof. Gicharu.
He reckoned that instead of such a move, the county
government should have advocated for a jobs exchange programme that would
ensure that all counties in Kenya tapped the best talents and skills,
consequently attracting rapid growth, not only in Kiambu but in all the 47
counties in the country.
Gicharu added that, as an institution, MKU will continue to
hire the best personnel in the world regardless of where someone came from.
“I want to assure Prof (Stanley) Waudo that your job is safe
despite the fact that you hail from another region of this country. As MKU, we
will not respect that law and we will continue to hire staff from any part of
the world. What matters to us is their qualifications and competence,” he said.
These sentiments
were echoed by MKU Governing Council Vice Chairman Vincent Gichuru
Gaitho who challenged the county assembly to revisit the matter and instead
work on ways to create more employment opportunities instead of setting up
policies that would alienate locals and ignite tribal animosity among the
communities living in Kenya.
“The county assembly
should think bigger than that. We cannot use knee-jerk resolutions to solve our
problems. Instead of attempting to arm-twist employers into employing people
from a certain ethnic community, they should prepare programmes geared towards
creating more employment opportunities for their people. And by the way, who
qualifies to be referred to as a ‘local’? There are non-Kikuyus who have been
born and brought up in Kiambu and we cannot afford to discriminate them for
reasons of ethnicity,” said Gichuru.
The Kiambu County
Assembly passed a motion compelling public and private institutions and
businesses operating in the region to get 70% of its workforce from the
dominant ethnic community in what they argued an attempt to create employment
for the local people.
The MCAs said a
staff audit will be carried out and employers found not to have complied will
be required to take action, failing which they will lose their operating
licences.
Earlier, Governor
Ferdinand Waititu insisted that the recruitment of vice chancellors for
universities in the county to be conducted by the regional assembly, to ensure
locals are given priority.
While making the proposal, Waititu argued that the majority of employees at Kenyatta University (KU) and the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) were non-locals.
Meanwhile, MKU has unveiled a new logo to culminate its rebranding, ten (10) years since it became a fully-fledged university.
In a colourful
ceremony held after their 13th graduation, Chairman Board of
Directors Prof. Simon Gicharu said that time was ideal for the institution to
re-invent itself into one of the best universities in the world.
During the launch, the
university changed it MOTTO from the previous ‘Scaling The Heights of Education’ to ‘Unlock Infinite Possibilities’.
“Time is ripe for us
to reinvent ourselves. After scaling the heights of education for the last 10
years, now we can unlock our infinite potential. My vision of MKU is to become
the best university in the country, in Africa and in the world,” said Gicharu.
To achieve this,
Gicharu challenged both staff and students to play their part in ensuring that
the institution remained credible and upholding integrity in all they did.
The institution also
launched a retirement provident scheme for the payment of lump sums and other
similar benefits to employees when they leave employment or to the dependents
of employees on the death of those employees.
All MKU workers will
from now henceforth contribute a portion of their salaries towards the fund as
the institution contributes a certain percentage on behalf of her workers.
“You will no longer
have to worry about your retirement. This fund will ensure that each one of you
is financially secure after you call it a day,” said Gicharu.
The occasion was
graced by the Secretary of Communications in the Presidential Strategic
Communications Unit (PSCU) and State House Spokesman Manoah
Esipisu among other dignitaries.
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