Four senior officials of the University of Nairobi (UoN) Council have been arrested by detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) over the controversial and irregular appointment of Daniel Brian Ouma Okeyo as the institution’s Acting Chief Operations Officer (COO).
Among those arrested are UoN Council Chairperson, Prof. Amukowa Anangwe, Daniel Brian Ouma himself, and council members, Dr. Ahmed Sheikh Abdullahi and Carren Kerubo Omwenga. The quartet is currently being detained at EACC headquarters, Integrity Centre, Nairobi, and is expected to be arraigned in court later this afternoon.
According to EACC, the suspects face charges of abuse of office and contravention of a court ruling issued on April 8, 2024, which nullified Ouma’s appointment. The commission accuses the UoN Council of usurping procedural authority by disregarding official advisories from then-Vice Chancellor Prof. Stephen Kiama, as well as directives from the EACC itself.
Prof. Anangwe was apprehended by EACC officers at Kisumu International Airport and airlifted to Nairobi for interrogation. The Commission revealed that despite a formal warning, the Council proceeded to appoint Ouma as Acting COO in July 2024, placing him in charge of all administrative and non-academic operations of the university.
The appointment drew scrutiny after investigations revealed that Ouma did not possess valid academic qualifications for the roles he held. EACC says that Ouma forged academic documents to secure and retain multiple high-ranking roles at the university, including Deputy Director of Fundraising and Partnerships, Director of Advancement, and Acting COO.
Furthermore, Ouma is facing additional charges related to the unlawful acquisition of public funds exceeding Ksh.32 million, the total salary he reportedly earned between 2015 and 2025 while holding positions he was allegedly unqualified for.
The Commission for University Education (CUE) confirmed that the academic certificate Ouma used to gain employment, a Bachelor of Philosophy from Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome, is not recognised in Kenya, as the institution is not accredited by Kenyan authorities.
Despite these findings, the University Council defied EACC’s recommendations and extended Ouma’s contract by six months, demanding that the Commission provide further evidence to support its claims in the interest of administrative justice.
“The tenure of Brian Ouma as Acting Chief Operations Officer at the University of Nairobi is irregular. The degree he presented is not recognised in Kenya,” EACC stated in a letter to the Council, adding that the appointment violated both university and public service regulations.
The arrests mark a significant escalation in the standoff between the anti-graft watchdog and the UoN Council and highlight ongoing challenges around transparency and governance in Kenya’s public universities. The case is expected to draw widespread attention as it proceeds to court.
Written By Rodney Mbua
