Tackling the challenge of staffing young upcoming Public Universities in Kenya

The purpose of this study was to identify mechanisms for young and upcoming universities in Kenya to address the challenge of hiring and retaining qualified and competent staff under severe financial constraints, poor housing conditions and unattractive remuneration. In the last five years, eight university colleges were started, mostly in the rural areas and these have now been elevated into full-fledged universities, as per the University Act of 2012. The study is motivated by the fact that university teaching and research is no longer seen as lucrative; and even old well-established universities are facing challenges in recruiting and retaining doctoral level staff. The number of students joining universities every year has been growing at a rate of 5% over the last 10 years. This rapid increase in access to university education has not been matched by any deliberate efforts to train and build capacity of university teaching staff. For some reason, it has been assumed that without the slightest input from government and other partners, in terms of training and capacity building, the problem will resolve itself. This has not happened, and young upcoming universities are in dire need of qualified staff. In the absence of such capabilities, Kenyan universities cannot expect to compete at any appreciable level with their counterparts, not only in the industrialized world, but also from other developing countries such as South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria that have programs for developing relevant capacities. A welldeveloped university teaching and research human capacity base is not only an asset that would enable the country to promote forward-looking ideas, initiate and guide action, and build on successes, but also make the country an attractive destination for investment and intellectual collaboration, both of which, can spur rapid economic development. It concludes that while student numbers have risen rapidly in the recent years, the country has not put in place any programs and systems for systematically training and building the capacity of university staff, which could be undermining the quality and long-term sustainability of the university education system in the country. Because of the rural nature of these young universities, it is important that efforts are put in place to create and maintain the diversity of staff to avoid in-breeding and complacence.