A report by CS Matiang'i and Education Ministry which has revealed that private universities graduates are preferred by employers is a wake up call to public university.The above report comes as no surprise to anyone familiar with university education in Kenya.

 For a long time public universities have encountered challenges ranging from political interference, constant closures due to student riots and staff strikes, thefts by management, inept Vice Chancellors, and Councils, corruption, nepotism, tribalism, underfunding, lack of staff development policies, etc.

The list is endless. The recent audit by CUE uncovered an aspect little known to the public but well understood by those in academia the painful and shocking fact that private universities are kilometers ahead of public universities in compliance with various statutory requirements, guidelines, and regulations.

When CUE and its predecessor CHE carried out pre-charter inspections of private universities management of these universities, in their anxiety to obtain and retain chartered status stuck to required conditions to the latter.

On the other hand, the public universities with their know-it-all attitude rarely bother with CUE requirements. Now that they have been caught with their pants down everyone is running helter skelter in an attempt to seal numerous loopholes exposed by the audit.

 Of course, private universities are the number one choice for employers. These universities have what it will take public universities decades to achieve: low teacher to student ratio, functioning laboratories, fully ICT and Internet compliant libraries, excellent classrooms, auditoria, and lecture theatres, 99% class attendance, calendars, timetables, and almanacs that are prepared on long term basis and get followed faithfully, constant staff appraisal.

Also, they have ongoing training, regular induction of new staff, properly supervised attachments, student mentoring programs, high-speed campus-wide fully integrated wifi, etc.

Public universities will have to wean students off the dependence on campus hostels and catering as often riots are linked to these two non-core units.

For a long time, the University of Nairobi was the sole university in this country. It's number one status is strictly due to its longevity and nothing to do with performance.

 If for example, Strathmore University had been chartered in 1961 (as was the original plan) it would have been ahead of UON by an astronomical scale distance.

It will not be long before parents realise that their kids have better employment chances if they enroll in private universities. Don't be surprised to see many of the mushrooming 'County' universities start closing one by one due to lack of students. Mark my words!