Gray, Kenneth R. (1992) “The scramble for education & employment: the case of Kenya” in Ndeti, Kivuto and Kenneth R. Gray, eds. The Second Scramble for Africa: A response & a critique analysis of the challenges facing contemporary sub-Saharan Africa. Nairobi: Professors World Peace Academy
Gray explains the “double intake” of 1987/88 – page 235 – it is the result of the two universities (Nairobi and Kenyatta) having been closed all of the prior academic year (1986/87). He points out that even with this “double intake,” there still existed a pool of over 30,000 qualified candidates who did not find a spot in Nairobi, Kenyatta, Moi, or Egerton universities that year. He refers to this gap as the second scramble for higher education in Africa.
Africanization/Kenyanization of the workforce in the immediate post-colonial period as a chief impetus for creating opportunity in tertiary education (universities, yes, but also technical schools and teacher training colleges). Gray points out – page 235 - that by 1972, in Kenya, “83% of the public sector and 68% of professional positions had been filled by Kenyan citizens (Kaplan et al, 1976:266).” Same sentence repeated on page 238.
p. 238: Gray cites 1987 data that shows “. . .that roughly .4 of one percent of the students who reach the end of primary school go on to enter the University of Nairobi.” While this IS shockingly low, it seems to not take into account the other three universities – so perhaps a total of 1.5% of primary school leavers made it into university in the 1980s.
Gray cites Achola (page 242) in noting that the focus in Kenya in the 1960s and 1970s was on access to university opportunities, and less so on retention of a quality higher educational product.
Gray shows here, as in other writings, that he is all for practical application of university learning. See extended quote below from page 242.
p. 242: “A stronger relationship has to be forged between the universities and the private sector in order to alter the existing detrimental trends that have been discussed previously. This could best be achieved through encouraging the establishment of institutions that link industry and the university.”
Gray mentions Alumni Associations, endowed chairs and professorships, employment placement offices at universities, and other elements of graduate networking to support the purpose (in his view) of higher education – as a conduit to employment, which becomes a conduit to an expanded economy, which becomes a conduit to national development, and expanded opportunity for an ever-broader community of Kenyans.
p. 243; “The establishment of institutions that encourage “technological triangles” in which scientists from universities acting as entrepreneurs, collaborate with industry and the financial institutions to develop and market new products resulting from the effort of the researcher would be necessary. Multinational companies and the private sector should be made to pay compulsory research and development levies. Such contributions should be tax deductible. Large multinational companies should be encouraged to establish research and development facilities locally. Finally, the establishment of affirmative action programs is recommended, requiring . . . local high-level manpower participation in all local high technological projects.”
