NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul, 27 – It’s a reprieve for Kenyatta University Vice-chancellor Prof Paul Wainaina after the Employment and Labour relations court issued an order stopping his suspension from office.
Judge Dr. Jacob Gakeri in his order directed that a letter written by Professor Crispus Kiamba on July 12, 2022, suspending, terminating and/or dismissing Professor Wainaina from the office of the Vice-Chancellor or from rendering his position vacant and/or revoking his salary had been revoked.
The matter is set to be placed under a judge before July 28, 2022, pending the hearing and determination of the petition.
The petition was filed by Wainaina’s lawyer, advocate Manwa Hosea.
Following a land row at the University professor Wainaina alongside the entire Kenyatta University Council was suspended and a new council chaired by Professor Kiamba was instituted.
Wainaina did not shy away from addressing his predicament to members of the faculty and students insisting that his actions have always been for the good of the learning institution.
Shortly after that, KU’s Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Waceke Wanjohi was appointed the acting VC for 30 days.
Genesis Of Dispute
Drama over the ownership of a 1,000-acre piece of land pitting the Kenyatta University and the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital is said to have put prof Wainaina on the ‘bad’ side of the state.
Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Public Service Joseph Kinyua is said to have written a letter notifying the VC to surrender the university title deed for the mentioned parcel of land forthwith.
Wainaina said that he had initially received a call from the Ministry of Education and was informed that they had to cede land to the hospital (KUTRRH) since the cabinet had met on May 12, 2022, and a decision on the same had already been made.
He further said that the National Lands Commission (NLC) would prepare a surrender title based on the sub-division carried out by the Ministry of Land.
It was revealed that the first subplot, 30 acres, would be allocated to World Health Organization (W.HO.), Africa Center For Disease Control would be allocated 10 acres, Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral And Research Hospital would be allocated 108 acres, Ministry of Land and Physical Planning would-be allocated 190 acres to facilitate the resolution of the Kamae settlement scheme.
“The council said they do not have the mandate, the VC said we do not have the mandate…But I want you to know, probably this is the last time talking to you as a VC,” an almost teary VC addressed staff at KU.
In a letter addressed to him, Wainaina said that he was told of plans to reclaim ownership of the land in question since the institution had large tracts of land that was unutilized while reiterating plans to utilize the land which has nexus to the institution’s research and academic programme.
“The Cabinet in its meeting held on May, 12,2022 resolved to approve the allocation of land to strategic interventions under the ministry of health…..Accordingly,the council of Kenyatta University is required to avail the parcel of land under title, LR11026/2 for purposes of planning a excision in line with section 69 of the Physical planning and land use Act,” read a section of the letter dated July, 6,2022.
According to the initial letter, the VC was expected to surrender the title deed by the close of business on July,5,2022.
“I consulted the chairman of the council and immediately he called for a meeting the next day to discuss this letter. So at 2 pm, council members met to discuss this letter and as we were discussing this letter at around 2.30 pm, I received another letter and it had so many people who were copied,” he said.
The meeting was expected to be held on Wednesday, July,6,2022 at Harambee House.
“I attended the meeting and told them the issue is not really a vice-chancellor issue but a council matter and therefore whatever I say will not have weight because I have nothing to do with the property of KU…After deliberations, then we were told we would have another meeting where the council would be invited. The suggested day of the meeting was supposed to be today (Tuesday, 12,2022) the letter was again addressed to me,” said the VC.
The second meeting was never held and coincided with what appeared to be the firing of the VC from his job alongside the institution’s council members.
“This is the background of what happened on Saturday, council has actually resisted ceding KU land, we have been able to go to Kinyua’s office on Kame land and council said it does not have the capacity to cede land, then we were called to the ministry of education and we were told we had to cede land to the hospital because Cabinet is meeting and the decision was made, Again, we went as council and we were not convinced by our CS, we were told to go again and write, we wrote and we told the CS, council does not have the capacity, the council has the capacity to preserve but not to cede land,”
The KU Council further said that the land in question has already been planned further attaching a strategic plan indicating the development plans with some said to have stalled. The office of the head of public service did not respond to their letter according to VC Wainaina.
While launching the construction of the World Health Organization (WHO) African regional operations and logistics hub, President Uhuru condemned the land dispute that threatened the operationalization of the medical emergency hub between Kenyatta University and Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital.
“Property whether State House, where I live for the next few weeks or university or a hospital…or land, this is the property of the Kenyan people held in trust by the government of Kenya. This is why we try and adopt a whole government approach, when you do projects, or things, you look at things globally in order to be able to move a country forward. We do not operate in silos,’ said Kenyatta who further said,“We shall deal with those individuals swiftly and very effectively, we will all go ‘home’ together. We can not have people operating as individuals, we operate on behalf of the people,” he said.
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