Teamwork attributed to great performance at the University of Embu

University of Embu Vice Chancellor Prof. Daniel Mugendi while addressing press at the University over the recent ranking that placed the University as the best performing State Corporation in 2021/2022 financial year performance contracting evaluation said they expected good performance and it was not a surprise saying good working relationship has seen the University floor the other institutions of higher learning.

We look forward to maintaining our position since it is possible," stated Prof. Mugendi.

The University of Embu started as an agricultural training college but since it was issued with a charter to become a fully fledged university, it has seen stellar performance and achievement.

Prof. Mugendi observed that each employee in the University has a target that should be met saying that has greatly inculcated a culture of responsibility and accountability that is propelling the University to greater achievement.

“We are a very inclusive family whereby the VC is not seated on an ivory tower somewhere where he cannot be reached but we integrate and work as a team which has really helped us,” noted the VC.

The VC said that despite the institution which received its charter in 2016 having been ranked the best State Corporation, the institution has its own challenges its facing but it always bench-marked from other best performing institutions in order to borrow what they are doing right and also to avoid what they are doing wrong.

He said that bench-marking from some of the best performing institutions in Kenya and Internationally, has helped to shape the university to avoid some of the management mistakes that the institution might have gotten into.

In 2019/2020 the University was ranked as the best performing State Corporation and second runners up in 2020/2021 financial year in performance.

The University is also said to have the biggest kitty of the endowment fund for helping the needy students taking their studies at the University amounting to over KSh40 million.

"No turning back and we shall maintain our position through supervision and monitoring our work ,"he affirmed.

The VC noted that various government universities are battling financial challenges and called on the Government to inject more funds to universities so that they can operate optimally.

Mugendi disclosed that the biggest challenge that is facing universities is the Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) saying that when it's negotiated, the Government only gives the arrears and does not fund the CBAs going forward.

He cited the 2017/21 CBA saying that the Government determined that it needed KSh.8.8 Billion which was paid and the universities used the money to pay its members arrears adding that from 2021 going forward, the government never factored that budget in the universities budget.

He said that universities have been receiving the same amount of money that they have been receiving since 2017/18 which he pointed out to be the biggest challenge affecting the operations of public universities.

He said the huge funding gap that is being experienced in the public universities can only be addressed by the government increasing the funding of public universities.

The government has since announced new model of funding universities.

While announcing the new model on 3 May, President William Ruto said the government was not increasing tuition fees but incorporating funding for universities and TVETs through government scholarships, student loans and household contributions.

Ruto said the vulnerable students will not pay tuition fees as they will get government scholarships that will cover the full cost of their education.

He said that, for the first time, poor students whose households are at the bottom of the income pyramid will enjoy equal opportunities in accessing university and TVET education. “Such households shall not make any contribution towards the education of their children,” stressed Ruto.

According to President Ruto, about 45,000 vulnerable students will be fully funded by the government – that is 29% of new students who will join universities in the 2023-24 academic year.