At Kenyan University, a Paradox In Shortage Of Professors

Kenyan professors: If you have an under graduate or master’s degree, you may just want to go back for your PhD. Apparently, there a growing demand for professors at Kenyan universities than the same universities can supply!

Kenyatta University Vice Chancellor, Paul Wainaina, revealed this when he recently raised concern over the low number of professors at the institution of higher learning, worried that it might affect the quality education and research. It is an irony as the university is the custodian of churning out academics such as professors and doctors.

He said Kenyatta University has not had a full professor for the past four years to replace those who retire or leave through other causes. He noted, for example, that the Department of Education has only four full professors and two associate professors.

Prof. Wanaina said that most of the remaining professors will be all gone in the coming years, leaving the university at cross roads in terms of education quality and research.

“The future of every university lies with its thinktanks who are the professors. There used to be a time when we used to be like eight full professors and several associates. Now it is worrying because I have just a few years left before I leave and I have not seen anyone close to a professor level,” he said.

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He said it may seem like dark days in the education industry since the mainstay of quality education is evidence-based knowledge brought by professors.

The Don called on lecturers to further their studies through doing more research to attain professorship to save the future of the departments and the quality of education in the country.

“Professors are the apex of scholarship in any university. We need to get more lecturers promoted into professors to save the quality of education starting with teaching, doing research for solving problems of this nation,” said Wainaina.

He was speaking as one of the lecturers, Dr Rubai Mandela, launched a book, Before Two Become One, at a Ruiru hotel.

He said the university would support those in the field of research to attain high education accolades to ensure they bring out qualified scholars, who will hold up the university in future.