Three communities have the lion’s share of employment in the country’s parastatals, the latest report by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has revealed.
The report launched yesterday says Kikuyu, Kalenjin and Luo have 29,352, 25,729 and 20,656 of their kinsmen respectively in the employment of the State bodies, topping the list of communities with the highest numbers of employees.
Overall, the report says while there are 299 parastatals which have employed about 146,000 Kenyans, the three communities, with a total of 75,737 have more than half of the employment slots, leaving the other 39 to share the rest.
The report says the organisations are male dominated with 62 per cent against 38 per cent women.
It also notes that differently-abled people have never been considered in some organisations, with only 2,723 of them employed, representing a paltry 1.9 per cent.
In a surprising revelation, the report also criticizes the naming of universities, noting that many carry regional or ethnic identities that undermine their national character.
It recommends that CUE “develop and enforce clear guidelines on the naming of universities to ensure they reflect their national, inclusive, and diverse mandate.”
“The Commission should ensure university names embody their role as public institutions serving all citizens rather than individual ethnic communities,” it adds.
Despite legal mandates for inclusivity, persons with disabilities remain severely underrepresented in Kenyan universities.
The NCPWD is urged to launch awareness campaigns to combat stigma and encourage self-disclosure among PWDs.
Another key recommendation is for mandatory diversity and inclusion training for all university faculty and staff.
The training, the report says, should focus on “unconscious bias, cultural competence, and inclusive leadership practices” to ensure that universities provide equitable opportunities to all.
“The programs should raise awareness of implicit prejudices and stereotypes that hinder ethnic harmony and equip staff with practical skills for fostering inclusive academic environments,” the report adds.
Further, universities are encouraged to adopt targeted recruitment practices to ensure academic diversity.
