University of Nairobi Reviews its strategic plan

University Of Nairobi





Submission Of Ideas And Thoughts For Consideration During The Review Of The University Strategic Plan 2005-2010 And Crafting Of A New Strategic Plan 2007-2012




By Makokha Wanjala M.





September 2007





Introduction
It is useful to start by imagining what the University will be in 2012, according to Prof. Magoha it will be only three years shy of the level of Oxford University. This is a tall order calling for consolidating gains made but more importantly the courage to chart a new path not just for UON but also for the entire university education in Kenya, East Africa, and make an imprint on the African continent and on the world.

The theme for the last strategic plan was “towards world class excellence”. It was apt but it is too general in the sense that it gives no indication about world-class excellence as a benchmark. It also negated the truth that we are yet to claim our rightful position among the league of African universities before aiming at the world. I propose the new theme to be

“A centre inspiring and moulding world leaders in all spheres of responsible human endeavour”.

Let me now present what I would call radical proposals. For each I will provide some background information to put in context and argue a case for them being considered at appropriate organs of the University.

The Role Of Alumni In University Progress
The University has been dealing with the Alumni and its efforts to partner with the Private sector as though they are the same. This is wrong as there are many alumni who are not captains of industries but who are a solid base on which the University can tap resource support. First this group should be involved in crafting a new strategic plan. An invitation be put in the website, local dailies, and a daily with international circulation (asking all alumni to contribute to a basket of ideas to improve their university). I believe that in order for the alumni to play a role in improving the university the following should be attempted:

The current leadership of the alumni has done its bit. They have babysat a wonderful idea. We must let the alumni organization derive greater ownership by it holding elections. Besides the administrator all other positions be held by non university employees. I mean people not sitting on any other organ of the University. If it is a partnership then we cannot partner with ourselves, we must invite outsiders. People who do not share our constraints and those who can demand more from us instead of praise.

The Vice – Chancellor must each year write to each alumnus thanking them for their contribution, explaining the current university plans and asking for a cash contribution. This should be little amounts of Kshs 500 or 1000 per alumni per year. The current arrangement of silver, gold, bronze and others may be good but it has made a lot more people shy away. Let the alumni organization be all-inclusive. Those who have studied in some of the best foreign universities receive such kind of a letter and make modest annual contributions to their Alma Mata.

The University of Nairobi Hospital
The current arrangement where we train our medicine students at KNH has served us well. There are facilities, human and other infrastructural support that makes any suggestions to think elsewhere seem ‘madness’, but the basic question is “are we going to live in this arrangement for ever?” We must be cognizant of the fact that KNH is a public corporation established by an act of parliament, as is the University of Nairobi. There is no telling, one-day an amendment may sail through parliament and deny us the exclusive use of KNH. Instead of sitting by and saying it can never happen is it not better to prepare for such eventuality? My motivation is rooted in the belief that KNH benefits more than we do in the current relationship and there is a complex relationship in management of human and physical facilities. Look around the world, the best hospitals are University hospitals, John Hopkins is just but an example. The university can offer treatment and charge for it. Since medical treatment is a service we stand to gain a lot, as we will with time attract and retain the best doctors.

But how?

Where is the money?

Here is how
1. Move the Staff Health Clinic to town preferably at Ambank House or a more strategic place.
2. Create room for consultants consultation rooms
3. Create software that allows the clinic to serve staff and postgraduate students (at no cost) and outsiders at a fee.
4. Implement, and monitor growth. In no time the hospital will grow sufficiently to allow part training our medicine students at the centre. With time we reduce and ultimately stop our dependence on KNH.
5. A reputation of a University Hospital, together with highly reputable Doctors like those the University already has, you can’t argue that the hospital will not grow exponentially.
6. Again our postgraduate students are among some the major players in the private and public sector here in Nairobi. If you offered them good medical care during their student days, you’ll almost be sure to retain them throughout their lifetime with their families and dependants.



Move Faculty of Commerce back to Main campus
This is long overdue and it is happening informally. Today you are more likely to get a lecturer from the faculty in Main than in Kabete. Many of them now have carrels in JKML while others have rented offices just next to the University. Since this is a cash cow for the University let us move the undergraduates back to Main. In doing so we achieve three things, one, it makes it easier for staff to operate, use more effectively the space in Kabete (move there a populous course like some students of BA) and importantly restore the ideas of the founders of the University. The Indian community had put up some facilities in main purely to train commerce.

Advertise and recruit DVC student affairs. It is part of the previous strategic plan.

Create an autonomous company like UNEs to manage accommodation and catering. Many University documents and government findings recommend a divorce between accommodation catering and the main university. Why not make this a reality. The benefits are already documented and repeated in several university documents


Public relations department. Recruit more people with the skill and professional training to manage the University’s image. This image is an asset that must be sustained through deliberate programmes. At present the office is too stretched to be effective. For example do they have capacity to monitor all the suggestion boxes? The Answer may be NO.

Each department to introduce an e-journal. Let the library with ICT provide the electronic platform to host this digital library. It is not enough for us to provide a gateway to e – resources generated by other universities. We must create our own content. Make it mandatory for all postgraduates to submit their projects/theses and dissertations on CD format. Upload this at the library site.

In the current plan the University purposed to be rooted in the African setting. I don’t see anything that has been done to make the university African. Despite the fact that the term African is controversial in meaning there are some things that can be done to make the University more connected with the society in which it is rooted. For instance the graduation gowns can be re –done to take a more African theme. The beginning point may be to trace the chancellor’s gown used by Jomo Kenyatta. To my mind it was more African than the current one. Other areas must be explored so that we make sense of our claim as an African university.

I have also come to the conclusion that we need to urgently re look at workload for lecturers. Truth be told there are lecturers whose total number of students in a given semester is close to or over a thousand. For such a workload we may deny it but it is impossible for one person to mark with the required keenness. Might it be possible to hire qualified but part time lecturers to assist in this exercise. The current practice is that un officially lecturers out source marking with no guidelines or else how do they mark all those scripts including course work and still teach year round. This area of workload needs to be looked at and certain maximum capacities established.

As we enter into the next planning phase student emails through the university site are still inactive. This ought to be done and enough capacity be created to enable students to operate their e-mail accounts even after they have left the university. This will provide a viable vehicle to communicate with the alumni, and even send job advertisements. Let’s provide value to our clients; let us show them that we value maintaining a life long relationship with them. I hope in 2012, a student should be able to get a time table and course outlines automatically emailed to him/her once they fill in an on line course registration form.

The student leadership deserves more support so that we can cement some of the noble traditions that are evolving. Funds need to be set aside to build a student centre complex. Such a facility could house the student parliament. A good parliamentary culture among our students will hardly evolve of they continue meeting in a TV room. In the mean time the University considers appointing an administrative assistant and posting him/her to the SONU office. This way the University can confidently furnish the office as there is a university official safeguarding assets of the University. It is upon us to help the student leadership develop into a good organization keeping records, minutes, and accountable to the students. Responsible student union is a partnership of purpose between management and the union with a long-term perspective.

There has been a buzzword around the University in terms of mainstreaming consultancy services. I know there could be elaborate committees looking at this but the crux of the matter is that for lecturers to bring consultancy to the university rather than do it on their own the university must provide a platform that makes it easier for them to do research under the banner of the university. Set aside a modern graduate library with state of the art technology and university hired research assistants but attached to departments. This way a lecturer who brings consultancy to the Research Centre knows that the work will be done more easily leaving him to play a supervisory role only.

This way they can undertake several researches at a go meaning that the little percentage that goes back to the university is off set by the ease with which the Research Centre makes it easier to do research. Give them a reason to do consultancy under the banner of the University. Lets not bank on them being patriotic to the institution.

Regularize the academic calendar. This business of students going home to give way for others to report was never meant to be a permanent feature of the University. Again lecturers deserve time off to rest. Human resource experts have long established that mandatory leave at least once a year is good for better performance. We must provide a window for the lecturers to rest. I know there are no easy solutions but wouldn’t be better in 2012 for the University to be freed from this problem.

In some of the university documents we assert our desire to develop a holistic graduate. Part of which would be to encourage reading for life not just for exams. Is it too much for library to begin stocking motivational books, self-help, fiction, and other titles that are not necessary class and exam oriented?


Top managers need to be fit physically for them to perform. Many studies contend that top managers are more prone to fatigue, stress that results in underperformance. My suggestion is having a health and fitness centre. Let there be a place with nice facilities where for example the VC can go for a jog within the University. Top-notch companies are going this way.

Finally, innovation, innovation, and innovation is the only way the university can grow. We must with all honesty put in place measures that do not stifle but rather encourage creativity. For example, we have hostels named after great citizens of the world e.g. Dag Hammarskjöld, Kwame Nkrumah among others, why not have a citation with a good photograph showing why it was found fair to name the hostels as such. A nice big portrait of such individuals could grace the reception. We must keep the conversation on going. I have realized for example that recent buildings have very shallow names such as Pioneer, Millennium, unlike the older buildings whose naming took thought and reflection.

Obviously there are many more suggestions, but that is my take…..

Makokha Wanjala M.