Moi University Main Campus, Eldoret. [Photo/citizentv.co.ke]
Professor David Some, a former CEO of the Commission for University Education has warned that the push by county governments to have certain people run universities threatens to undermine higher learning in Kenya.
He characterised the push as backward and ill-informed.
The professor served at one time as the vice-chancellor of Moi University, which has hit headlines over its ethnicity-riddled search for a vice-chancellor.
Kenyan law is very clear on the procedure to be followed in the appointment of VCs.
''There is a need for counties to have a say on who the university employs, not necessarily the vice-chancellor because the people in the lower level jobs are usually from around.'' Professor Some told the Daily Nation in an interview.
He lamented that ''our person'' syndrome was unbearably tribalistic and was hurting professionalism.