Detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) have arrested four senior officials from the University of Nairobi (UoN) in connection with the controversial appointment of Daniel Brian Ouma Okeyo as the institution’s Acting Chief Operations Officer (COO).
The arrested individuals include UoN Council Chairperson Prof. Amukowa Anangwe, Daniel Ouma himself, and two council members Dr. Ahmed Sheikh Abdullahi and Carren Kerubo Omwenga. They face charges of abuse of office and flouting a court judgment delivered on April 8, 2024, which had nullified Ouma’s appointment.
According to EACC, the council disregarded an official advisory by former Vice Chancellor Stephen Kiama and overstepped its mandate by appointing Ouma to the high-ranking role. Prof. Anangwe was arrested at Kisumu International Airport and flown to Nairobi for interrogation at the EACC’s Integrity Centre, where all the suspects are currently being processed before their court arraignment later today.
EACC further revealed that Ouma is facing separate charges of forgery and the unlawful acquisition of public property totaling over Ksh.32 million. The amount represents salaries he allegedly received from 2015 to 2025 while occupying several high-level positions at UoN, including Deputy Director (Fundraising, Donor Relations and Partnership), Director of Advancement, and acting COO positions for which he was reportedly unqualified.
Investigations show that Ouma used a Bachelor of Philosophy degree from Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome, Italy a qualification not recognized in Kenya—to secure his roles. The Commission for University Education (CUE) confirmed that the institution is not accredited in Kenya, rendering its qualifications invalid for employment purposes in the country.
Despite warnings, the University Council extended Ouma’s contract by six months in July 2024 and called on EACC to present evidence supporting its claims. EACC, however, had already deemed the appointment irregular and urged immediate revocation.
This incident places UoN under intense scrutiny, raising serious concerns about governance, compliance, and oversight in Kenya’s public universities.
