Kenyatta University Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wainaina has announced that he is going on an annual leave from Monday.
In an internal memo, Wainaina announced that his deputy Professor Waceke Wanjohi would be taking over duties and asked students to work with her while he is away.
The VC, however, failed to state when he would return.
"Following consultations with the Univerisity Council, I wish to notify the university community that I will be proceeding on annual leave with effect from 15th April 2024," the memo read in part.
The professor was reinstated as the University's Vice Chancellor in November 2022, following his dismissal as the University's VC in August 2022.
His dismissal came after he opposed the former regime's plan to undertake the construction of the World Health Organization hub on the institution's land.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta had lashed out at the VC saying public institutions were not private property.
“Property whether its statehouse where I stay for the next few weeks or its university or hospital, this is the property of Kenyan people held in trust by the government of Kenya. This way we try and adopt a whole government approach,” Uhuru stated.
“We don’t operate in silos so that someone holds on to something as if it’s their personal property. He or she doesn’t know that his or her day is counted just like mine.”
Wainaina was reinstated when President Willliam Ruto took office.
Speaking at the time, Wainaina maintained that there are procedures that the government should follow if they need to take the 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 wants to take the public land. 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.
“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."
