Although he rose through the ranks at
the Ministry of Education to be a deputy director, Laban Ayiro was
little known until September 2016 when Education secretary Fred
Matiang’i picked him to head Moi University as acting vice-chancellor.
He was replacing Richard Mibey, but the transition was tumultuous.
Immediately
Prof Ayiro was picked, the quiet life of the educationist would come to
an end when regional politicians — including Uasin Gishu governor
Jackson Mandago and his Elgeyo Marakwet counterpart Alex Tolgos —
opposed his appointment. There were street protests with claims that the
county leaders were pushing for somebody from the locality to head the
university.
According to the politicians, the
Education ministry had overlooked three finalists for the job to pick
the soft-spoken Prof Ayiro who did not apply for the post.
Since
his appointment, Prof Ayiro has got two contract extensions; the first
for three months and the latest, announced this week, for six months to
allow time for a newly constituted council to embark on the recruitment
of a substantive vice-chancellor. Although people who have worked with
him closely say that Prof Ayiro would have been reluctant to look for a
post that would thrust him into “another stressful job while he had
retired from civil service,” he recently said he would apply for the
post when it is re-advertised, showing a possible change of mind.
But
why is Prof Ayiro getting one contract extension after another? “He is a
seasoned administrator who’s neutral; that’s how he got the acting VC
job and one of the reasons he’s getting contract extensions,”an official
said, adding the ministry had “good reasons” for rejecting the three
names forwarded to it. Prof Ayiro launched his teaching career in 1977
as an assistant teacher at Namulungu Secondary School in Western Kenya,
where he worked for five years.
‘‘I just do my work
and always put God first in everything I do. I have self-conviction.
When I put my mind on something I must do it,” said Prof Ayiro.
Should
he be appointed as a substantive VC when the post is re-advertised, he
said, he plans to turn Moi University into the best institution of
higher learning in the country within five years.
At Moi University, Prof Ayiro has been fighting a war
with the Council for Legal Education (CLE) which has challenged the
university’s suitability to train lawyers, a battle that started before
he rose to the helm.
This week, the CLE released a
fresh list of Bachelor of Laws trainers but Moi University was missing
even though last April the court nullified the council’s order saying
its mandate was limited to setting standards. The CLE appealed the
verdict.
Prof Ayiro said the council’s decision to
exclude the institution from offering the programme was “not only
illegal... but is also a mischievous attempt at subverting the judgment
against which it has chosen to exercise its right of appeal.” The
university is considering taking legal action.
In the
recent appointments, Dr Jeremiah Ntoloi Koshal was named the Moi
University council chairman while members are Hamisi Dena, Hilda
Muchunku, Elizabeth Obel Lawson, Vincent Chokaa and Daniel K. Rono. They
will be inaugurated on April 6.
This week Prof Ayiro
told the Business Daily that when he took over he decided to engage all
stakeholders. The institution was in a financial crisis. An audit
report had revealed loss of Sh1 billion and he developed a two-phase
plan for revival.
“The first phase was the revival of
the institution; its physical, spiritual and value systems, and the
second phase was to consolidate the momentum of moving forward,” said
Prof Ayiro.
He said there were no personal differences
between him and the local political leadership except that of
succession which has been resolved.
Born in Sabatia,
Vihiga County, the educationist has been a consultant with the Ministry
of Education in the ongoing curriculum review contracted by Unicef. “My
interest is to see a curriculum that sits on the ICT platform and also
look at areas of soft skills and values. We also want learning to go
back to the owners, that is students and pupils,” said Prof Ayiro about
the education reforms that will focus on competency as opposed to
passing exams.
He unwinds by listening to gospel and
traditional music, saying gospel music is a form of worship. He also
likes watching football and supports both Manchester United and Arsenal,
the English Premier League titans who are sworn rivals.
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