EACC detectives arrested four senior University of Nairobi (UoN) officials on May 16, 2025, over allegations of abuse of office and irregular appointments. The arrests unsettled Kenya’s academic community, intensifying concerns about governance in public institutions.
The officials, University Council Chairperson Prof. Amukowa Anangwe, Daniel Brian Ouma, and council members Dr. Ahmed Sheikh Abdullahi and Carren Kerubo Omwenga, allegedly appointed Ouma as Acting Chief Operations Officer (COO) despite a court ruling prohibiting the move on April 8, 2024.
Officers apprehended Prof. Anangwe at Kisumu International Airport and transported him to Nairobi for questioning at Integrity Centre. They arrested the others in Nairobi and began processing them for court proceedings.
The controversy began in July 2024 when the University Council ignored EACC’s advisory and appointed Ouma. Investigators discovered that his Bachelor of Philosophy degree from Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome, Italy, lacked recognition in Kenya. The Commission for University Education (CUE) confirmed the university’s lack of accreditation, rendering its degrees invalid.
Further investigations uncovered allegations of forgery and unlawful acquisition of KSh32 million in salaries between 2015 and 2025. Authorities determined Ouma was unqualified for any of the senior positions he held, including Deputy Director of Fundraising, Director of Advancement, and Acting COO.
