Nairobi, July 16 -- In that sea of an office that is the vice-chancellor's floor at the University of Nairobi (UoN), docked on the 18th floor of the UoN Towers, Prof Ayub Gitau revels in numbers.

He is a good dancer, we hear, but what comes out in this fast-paced morning is his better-known attribute; that of being a numbers man. He has 30 minutes before he goes to meet the university's senate, and well under 24 hours before his big day starts.

Come the following morning from 8am, underneath white tents being set up in the university's grounds, he will be installed officially as the ninth vice-chancellor of the institution.

Among the numbers bothering him is one from recent university rankings that placed UoN at position 17 in Africa....