The University of Nairobi Council is now negotiating for a soft landing, opting to exit the institution through resignation, The Standard has learnt.

It is also emerging that Prof Bitange Ndemo is being engaged to take up the vice chancellor’s position, which he had declined.

The three remaining members of the council, who currently face criminal charges of abuse of office, are negotiating for their charges to be dropped in exchange for their resignation.

They include the council chairman, Prof.Amukowa Anangwe, and council members Carren Omwenga and Abdullahi Ahmed.

The developments come hours after the Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei met with professors from the institution.

Koskei, in a social media post, said the meeting aimed at strengthening governance.

“The University of Nairobi Professors’ Association (UoNPA) paid me a courtesy call for a constructive discussion on university governance. I appreciated the intellectual rigour and insights that will inform ongoing efforts in policy and institutional strengthening. I assured them of the government’s commitment towards streamlining matters at the University of Nairobi,” the post reads.

It has also been established that the government is headhunting for the next council members who will oversee the appointment of the next vice chancellor (VC).

The university has been without a substantive VC since the ouster of Prof Stephen Kiama in October 2024.

Sources familiar with the development indicate that negotiations are ongoing to have Ndemo, current ambassador to Belgium, to take up the position which he had earlier stepped back from.

Ndemo, a former ICT Principal Secretary,  emerged as the top candidate for the VC position following interviews conducted by the Public Service Commission.

He had earlier declined the role following controversy and infighting within the institution, saying in a social media post that his appointment did not follow due process.

“I dissociate myself from this unprocedural process,” he stated.