Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua disclosed that the government would reclaim land chartered to the World Health Organization (WHO) by former President Uhuru Kenyatta
Speaking during Kenyatta University’s 52nd graduation ceremony on Friday, December 16, the DP hailed KU Vice Chancellor Paul Wainaina for standing up for the institution when illegal land reallocation was looming.
“Early this year before the new administration came in, the previous one intimidated the university council and vice chancellor to allow the grabbing of Kenyatta University land… These great men and women stood their ground and refused to surrender the land,” Gachagua said.
DP Gachagua said the process to take back the land is underway, noting that former President Uhuru did not follow the required procedures in transferring the land.
“Never again will a professor be humiliated in front of his students by government officials…. As a government, we have instructed the Ministry of Land to cancel those allocations and reinstate the land to Kenyatta University,” he stated.
The 410-acres of land was allocated to World Health Organization (WHO) (30 acres), Africa Centre for Disease Control (10 acres), and the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (108 acres).
The controversy surrounding allocation of the land saw Kenyatta University Vice Chancellor Paul Wainaina resign. The University council was also dissolved and a new team set to take over the institution.
Wainaina’s exit was linked to his refusal to surrender the university’s tittle deed of the land to facilitate a WHO project.
WHO was set to build a Ksh 600 million emergency center on the university’s land for it’s regional operations.
Also, the exit came days after former President Uhuru issued a warning over the same, noting that some people do not reason with the nation in mind.
“We have individuals who are very ignorant and behave as if they have never entered a classroom… they don’t understand that Kenya has never operated in isolation. We shall deal with those individuals swiftly and very effectively,” he said at the time.
However, Wainaina was later reinstated as the university’s Vice Chancellor by the Employment and Labour relations court.
