Prof. Paul Wainaina reinstated as Kenyatta University Vice-Chancellor

Kenyatta University's Vice Chancellor Prof. Paul Wainaina made his way back to the Main Campus on Thursday, following the settlement of a dispute that led to his exit.

Speaking during his homecoming party at the University's Thika Road campus, Prof. Wainaina attributed the turn of events to divine intervention.

"God used the new government to allow wrongs to be rectified using our fundamental principles," Prof. Wainaina said.

"For me to be alive today is a miracle. I knew the fury that was coming after taking my stand."

According to the University don, at contention was some 410 acres of University land that the government wanted to be excised for the construction of a World Health Organisation (WHO) hub.

Prof. Wainaina reiterated that there exists a procedure in law on what government needs to do if it needs the parcel of land.

“That land is still intact and the title deed is with us, we had a plan for what we wanted to do with the land. There are procedures if the government wanted to take the public land,” said Prof. Wainaina.

According to the professor, the manner in which the land was being taken over was characteristic of land grabbing.

“On 4th July bulldozers came at night and invaded our land. The 140 acres were taken by government officials disguised as squatters, we won’t tolerate land grabbers,” he said.

The former VC further emphasised that he would see to it that the university gets back the Kenya University Teaching and Referral Hospital which he said was taken away from the institution four years after construction.

“We constructed the Hospital up to the end and the facility was taken away from us four years later; they only inherited our name. We want the Hospital back. Just as I’ve come back, that hospital will be ours,” Wainaina told the audience.

Wainaina was sacked on July 12, after a standoff between him and the government occasioned by the piece of the University’s land.

On July 27, the Employment and Labour Relations Court ordered his reinstatement.

“Pending the hearing and determination of this application inter-parties, this honourable court is pleased to issue a temporary order suspending the implementation of the decision contained in the letter dated July 12 by Professor Crispus Kiamba into suspending, terminating and/or dismissing the petitioner from the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, rendering his position vacant and/or revoking his salary,” Justice Jacob Gateri ruled.

Before his clash with the state, Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua in two letters dated July 4 and July 7 instructed Prof. Wainaina to give up the title for Kenyatta University LR No. 1102/26 so that the Ministry of Lands and Planning could seize a portion of the land as ordered by the Cabinet.