The appointment of Dr. Bitange Ndemo as University of Nairobi vice chancellor and his subsequent refusal to take up the appointment has drawn more questions than answers. Did Bitange Ndemo give in to pressure from above?

Many questions now linger on the controversies behind the position the vice chancellor of the University of Nairobi.

Coercion, blackmail and intimidations are said to have been the order of the day in his appointment amid an alleged plot to force him into declining to take up the appointment in an intricate plan that is seen as a leeway to the eventual appointment of a purported “preferred candidate”.

Interests in the corridors of power have been said to be in the mix. Prof Margaret Hutchinson Jesang has been acting everywhere since the former UON vice chancellor Prof. Stephen Kiama left the institution over nine months agoin contravention of the labour laws that prohibit one from acting for more than 6 months.

It has now come to light that Prof. Bitange Ndemo received a midnight phone call from Chief of Staff Felix Koskei, allegedly pressuring him not to accept the role of Vice Chancellor at the University of Nairobi. This is despite Prof. Ndemo ranking first in the recent interviews with a score of 84 points.

The alleged motive behind this pressure is to facilitate the reappointment of the former acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Margaret Jesang H., whose term officially ended on May 3, 2025. Insiders claim this maneuver is part of a scheme to exploit the university’s prime land assets.

Tensions have also been rising between Mr. Koskei and the University Council Chair, Prof. Amukowa Anangwe, with interference reportedly channeled through Education Cabinet Secretary Mr. Julius Ogamba. Prof. Anangwe is said to have firmly opposed any unlawful extension of Prof. Jesang’s term, especially given that interviews were concluded and the Public Service Commission had already submitted the top three candidates for final selection.