The Crucial Role of Faculty in Reviving Kenyan Universities

• Kenyan universities are predominantly teaching-focused, with teaching constituting approximately 65% of their mandate, followed by research at 25% and community service at 10%.
• The current approach, where many faculty members are content to “teach and go,” is no longer sustainable.
• All faculty, including professors, should take courses in undergraduate teaching, as a matter of policy, because it has a broader impact on the institution’s success.

Universities are the pinnacle of knowledge and societal solutions, built on three essential pillars: teaching, research, and community service. In Kenya, these institutions are facing unprecedented challenges, primarily due to financial instability.

With over 79 universities in the country, the competition for students, staff, and government funding has intensified. While university management provides strategic direction, it is the faculty who are the true custodians of these institutions, responsible for keeping the ship afloat in turbulent times.

Kenyan universities are predominantly teaching-focused, with teaching constituting approximately 65% of their mandate, followed by research at 25% and community service at 10%.

The duties and responsibilities of university faculty should align with these proportions, ensuring that the core mission of education is upheld. Any support and sacrifice by faculty for their institution in these areas, would be more impactful.

Recent financial difficulties have highlighted the need for faculty to take a more proactive role in supporting their institutions. The current approach, where many faculty members are content to “teach and go,” is no longer sustainable. Faculty must go out of their way to support management and council initiatives geared towards fiscal health of their institution.

A quick survey conducted with the Association of Academic Registrars in Kenya (AARUK), an entity that brings together all academic registrars of public and private universities and who are the custodians of faculty workload matrices, and for which I was the founding patron, revealed that most public university lecturers teach 3 courses per semester, while a few do 4 and some do 5. Interestingly, universities facing the deepest financial crises tend to have lower teaching loads.

Teaching, is the most core business of our universities in Kenya. It is one major area that faculty can offer their support and sacrifice to their respective institutions. A well negotiated increase of the teaching load from 3 to 4 courses per semester for faculty in public universities, will go a long way in alleviating the current institutional financial sufferings.

This could significantly reduce reliance on part-time lecturers, who often deliver subpar results due to their commitments across multiple institutions, a situation that will save millions of shillings that could support the much cried over delayed promotions and denied opportunities.

However, the issue of number of students per course should be a serious consideration while addressing course load increase. Most upper undergraduate and postgraduate courses have fewer students and cannot be weight-rated the same as lower undergraduate courses. Ideally, a class of 300 students becomes a crowd and difficult to teach using conventional methods.

Such units could be divided into 2 groups, equivalent to 2 course or taught virtually on Learning Management System (LMS) platforms. To lead by example, university management could also take on teaching responsibilities, for instance, 1 course per semester, to demonstrate their commitment to the institution’s success.

All faculty, including professors, should take courses in undergraduate teaching, as a matter of policy, because it has a broader impact on the institution’s success. As a professor of the university, I find it more impactful and gratifying teaching undergraduates compared to postgraduates because it is at that level, basic principles are imparted. Universities should no longer have self-declared specialists in postgraduate teaching only.

Private universities crossed this hurdle long ago. They adopted a more rigorous approach, with a minimum five-course semester load and a trimester model. This was initially a survival tactic for these institutions under the Differentiated Unit Cost (DUC) arrangement but which has now become a major contributor to their recent financial upturns.

Research is another critical area where faculty can make a difference. Research not only advances knowledge and enhance innovation but also serves as a significant source of revenue, infrastructure development, and capacity building for universities.

Unfortunately, many university staff shy away from grant writing, a key aspect of research. Some high-ranking faculty have never written a single grant proposal nor secured funding for their institutions, yet they continue to enjoy academic privileges.

The current generation of lecturers must overcome their reluctance and actively engage in research and grant writing. This will not only boost the university’s financial stability but also enhance its academic reputation.

As a small time researcher at my university, I have been able to attract over 800,000 US dollars and assisted my department to acquire some laboratory equipment. It is therefore a real and possible venture.

Community service and engagement, the third mandate of universities, are often overlooked but are crucial in connecting academic institutions with the broader community.

By addressing social, economic, and environmental issues, universities can strengthen their ties with the community and enhance their appeal to prospective students and government funders.

In an era of fierce competition among universities, those that make a tangible impact on their communities are more likely to thrive. Faculty members must recognise the importance of community service and take it seriously. By doing so, they can help their institutions gain favour with the government and attract more students, ultimately leading to increased revenue under the new funding model in which funds are dependent on students numbers.

Personally, any time I get a chance to be part of community engagement, I leave no doubt in my audience’s mind that my university is the place to be. This I do through a personalised script and message that explains the benefits of studying at my university and marketing the academic programs therein.

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In these challenging times, faculty should not sit on the sidelines. They must step up and take an active role in teaching, research, and community engagement.

By doing extra in these areas, they can help their institutions weather the storm and secure their own futures. If you ask me, promotions of faculty should also include sacrificial aspects they make to improve their university’s image and facilities through internationally recognised output and attraction of funds, instead of localised publications with zero citation index.

Kenyan universities are at a crossroads. The path forward requires a collective effort from both management and faculty to ensure their stability, sustainability, and continued relevance in the face of financial and societal challenges.