A former vice-chancellor of Presbyterian University of East Africa Kihumbu Thairu was accused of hiring a Muslim woman ‘against ethics of the church’, days before he was sacked.
A
report commissioned by the institution’s Board of Trustees lists the
hiring of a Muslim, among a host of other ‘negligent acts’ as reasons
for Thairu’s sacking.
This is despite the fact that the university
has been admitting Muslim students. Monday, the university denied that
it discriminated. The report is likely to raise a storm on why a
university would train students it cannot hire. After firing the team
led by Prof Thairu, the university council picked some of its members to
do a report that would justify why more than 30 senior members of
management team had to be fired.
In the Board of Trustee
Investigation Committee report dated September 2, 2011, on page 30, it
reads in part: “Here are some instances of misdeeds of the
vice-chancellor and his negligence in formalising issues. He hired a
Muslim lady and this is against the foundation ethics of the church.”
The
Muslim woman in question had been hired as a lecturer and this caused
uproar within the university council chaired by Prof Ntiba Micheni. In
the meeting, one senior officer told council members that if the Muslim
woman was to be fired because of her religion, then all the Muslim
students should also be refunded fees paid and let off the university.
The university council wasn’t ready to let go 300 Muslim students, so
the Muslim lecturer was spared.
A senior manager reveals that hate towards non-Christians was so prevalent and strong that on one occasion, PCEA moderator Rev David Riitho Gathanju was called to hold a special prayer session to cleanse the hall that was used as a chapel.
This
was because the university management had called all students for a
meeting and it was only the chapel that could accommodate them all.
Amongst those who came to the chapel for the induction meeting were
Muslim students.
“It seems the presence of Muslim students in a
chapel irked some members in the university management board,” says a
former senior manager at the university. Christian virtues globally call
for tolerance and love amongst all human beings. Initially, the
institution’s slogan was ‘A university of choice’ but after the chapel
incident, they changed their slogan to ‘A Presbyterian University of
choice’” says our source, who was in the meeting. Currently, the motto
has been revised to read ‘Finding New Paths’.
However, the
marketing director at the university Joseph Gachanja denies that the
institution discriminates against Muslim employees.
I think maybe it was a one off-thing. Currently, we have staff who
are Muslim. If there is any Muslim who left the university, it is
because he or she resigned,” asserts Gachanja.“The lecturer you
have referred to…was not fired but voluntarily resigned from the
employment of the university on January 6, 2012, giving a three months’
notice and eventually left on April 6, 2012. Any information to the
contrary is false,” Mr Gachanja told The Standard in an email interview. A member of staff who was allegedly fired because she was a Muslim,
however, declined to comment on the issue but a senior manager who was
privy to the details says “it was outright hate. The university council
never wanted her to hold any position leave alone being employed. But I
think when the university management stood their ground and said they
will also let all Muslim students go, the council relented but it was
clear, her days were numbered, and I think she also decided to quit”.
By the Standard
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