An online activist has uncovered a myriad of outrageous scandals perpetrated by a rogue administration at The University of Eastern Africa (UEAB) in Barton, Eldoret.
In the 17-minute YouTube documentary, the narrator gives a detailed report of how mismanagement, corruption, tribalism and nepotism have led the private coeducational Seventh-day Adventist institution down a long road of instability and financial struggle.
Church politics have also been strongly linked to the woes currently facing UEAB, with a section of its leaders accused of claiming full ownership of their respective positions as territories.
The viral video goes on to address how the once well-established private university that prides itself in holding the first charter from the government of Kenya has slowly degraded into a shell of its former self to the extent of begging for funds from well-wishers.
On 14th March 2022, the university held a fundraiser with a target of Sh400 million for the purpose of constructing more facilities to cater for the growing number of students at the institution.
This comes off as rather surprising, given the fact that UEAB is known to receive funding from the government.
The arrangement was reached between 2012 and 2016 when the institution struggled to attract enrolment and the state offered to sponsor some of their students at the campus.
So although UEAB is technically a private university, due to the funding it receives from the Kenyan government, it is now in reality a public institution.
Such universities are known to build infrastructure projects through grant proposals, public or private partnerships and other innovative strategies as opposed to public fundraisers.
And considering the wide range of auxiliary enterprises at the university’s disposal, it makes no sense why it would be languishing in such deprivation.
The documentary attributes this to the fact that, unlike other flourishing campuses, UEAB has been unable to properly utilize these sources of income.
For instance, the neglected university farm is estimated to be losing over Sh100,000 every day due to low production engineered by corrupt cartels who instead deliver supplies to the school.
Just three years ago, these were food items that UEAB could comfortably produce and even supply to the neighbouring community.
Questions have also been raised in regards to the manner in which infrastructure is developed at the university.
According to the expose, the construction of various buildings is done without any tendering or full contracting of works.
Instead, the hired contractor gives a quotation and the university management buys materials as requested.
Strangely, the procurement office is not involved in most of the purchases.
The person said to be in charge of all constructions is the son of a senior Seventh-day Adventist church leader and a council member.
Aside from these office malpractices, staff members at UEAB are reported to be unhappy lot.
They often go for months without pay, despite the university launching new projects every other day.
The employees were recently sent into deep shock after the DVC for Finance and Administration forcefully imposed a 30% deduction from their salaries with the funds purportedly meant to go into their March 14th fundraiser.
All this is happening after a worldwide pandemic.
Financial accountability at this campus is a totally foreign concept to VC Prof. Phillip Maiyo and his team.
At the university’s health centre, the management has set up a rather unorthodox arrangement for its operation.
Previously, the Baraton-Jeremic Community Medical Center always had resident doctors.
They were all Seventh-day Adventists who were strictly scrutinized before acquiring the positions.
The university paid a premium on issues to do with their personal ethics and spiritual morality.
But under VC Maiyo’s leadership, that quickly changed.
The facility entered into a loose contract with local doctors, most picked from the Kapsabet referral hospital.
The ethical and spiritual standings of the new doctors are not known.
Even worse is that these hired doctors proceed to subcontract other lower-ranked medical practitioners to work on their behalf.
As result, patients find a strange face at the facility every other day.
At UEAB greed knows no limits.
In 2013, the worldwide SDA church did a fundraiser for the construction of new classrooms for the Baraton International School, which is run by the university.
But to a large extent, that money did not achieve its intended purpose.
Three years later in the 3rd quarter of 2016, the management published a false report on the multi-million project.
In appreciation of the donated funds, they attached a picture of the purported newly-constructed classroom block.
But in reality, the building printed on the mission statement was not that of Baraton International School but a picture of a different building funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Tribalism is also rife at UEAB.
Some while ago, there was a vacancy for accountants.
Interestingly, all the interviewees were drawn from one community.
It is an open secret that employment at Baraton has been skewed towards friends and relatives linked to VC Prof. Phillip Maiyo.
As things stand, the situation has gotten so bad, that UEAB risks diminishing into a village polytechnic.
In some departments, meetings are conducted in local languages.
Below is the full documentary.
