The Politics

This study analyzes the transformation of Kenya's
public universities through marketization and
privatization by focusing on one university in
transition. It identifies the strategies used to
achieve marketization and privatization, and the
attendant anxiety generated. Both external and
internal factors catalyzed the transformation.
Marketization strategies included the corporatization
of university management through the
de-politicization of the university chancellorship,
competitive recruitment of the vice-chancellor,
administrative reconfigurations, registration of
unions and revitalization of student leadership.
These developments have generated role conflicts,
insider recruitment, and administrative misalignment,
loss of faculty power in governance, collective
bargaining failure and disruption of learning.
Privatization was attained through the
commercialization of learning, reflected in the
admission of privately sponsored students and the
privatization of students accommodation and boarding
services. Consequently, conflict over revenue
sharing, excessive workload, threat to academic
quality and students engaging in risky behavior as a
coping strategy were the outcomes.

Autorentext

Ishmael I. Munene teaches at Northern Arizona University. Hisresearch interest focuses on African higher education Hisresearch interest focuses on African higher education withemphasis on privatization, impact of globalization, governance,and gender issues. He has published widely in books andjournals, both in Africa and abroad.

Klappentext

This study analyzes the transformation of Kenya'spublic universities through marketization andprivatization by focusing on one university intransition. It identifies the strategies used toachieve marketization and privatization, and theattendant anxiety generated. Both external andinternal factors catalyzed the transformation.Marketization strategies included the corporatizationof university management through thede-politicization of the university chancellorship,competitive recruitment of the vice-chancellor,administrative reconfigurations, registration ofunions and revitalization of student leadership.These developments have generated role conflicts,insider recruitment, and administrative misalignment,loss of faculty power in governance, collectivebargaining failure and disruption of learning.Privatization was attained through thecommercialization of learning, reflected in theadmission of privately sponsored students and theprivatization of students' accommodation and boardingservices. Consequently, conflict over revenuesharing, excessive workload, threat to academicquality and students engaging in risky behavior as acoping strategy were the outcomes.