Revealed: Kenya’s Most Tribal Public Universities

Recent audits by the Office of the Auditor-General and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) have found widespread ethnic imbalances in hiring across Kenya’s public universities, with many institutions employing large majorities from the dominant communities in their regions.

The Auditor-General’s report shows that 19 of Kenya’s 42 public universities have recruitment patterns that favour particular ethnic groups. Staff composition in several institutions is heavily concentrated within the community that dominates the surrounding region.

At Koitalel Samoei University College in Nandi County, 73 percent of employees belong to the Kalenjin community. Rongo University in Migori County shows a similar pattern, with 72 percent of staff drawn from the Luo community. Comparable figures appear at the University of Kabianga, Mama Ngina University College and Kaimosi Friends University, where around 70 percent of employees come from the locally dominant group.

The NCIC conducted a broader review covering 27,596 employees across 40 universities. Its findings show that only 11 institutions meet the requirements of the National Cohesion and Integration Act, which calls for fair representation of Kenya’s diverse communities in public institutions.

According to the report, six ethnic groups—Kikuyu, Kalenjin, Luo, Luhya, Kamba and Kisii—hold nearly 86 per cent of university positions. The remaining 29 communities share about 14 per cent of jobs. Smaller communities, including the Gabra, Ilchamus, Rendille, Aweer or Watta, Dorobo and Sakuye, have little or no representation in university employment.

The audits also identify a link between the ethnicity of university leadership and the composition of senior staff. In about half of the institutions examined, the ethnic background of the vice-chancellor closely matches that of the majority of employees.

Several universities cited for notable ethnic concentration include Moi University, Maseno University, Kisii University, Dedan Kimathi University of Technology, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.