Court Reinstates One University Appointment But Nullifies Another
Wainaina was placed on leave in April 2024, with Prof. Waceke Wanjohi stepping in as acting Vice Chancellor.
Viral Tea Ke Writer 
The Employment and Labour Relations Court (ELRC) has reinstated Professor Paul Wainaina as the Kenyatta University Vice Chancellor after he was sent on leave by the Council in April 2024.
This is one of two orders made by the ELRC on Wednesday, April 30, which handed a significant blow to the Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Council of Kenyatta University by issuing orders that overturned their appointment decisions.
Wainaina was placed on leave in April 2024, with Prof. Waceke Wanjohi stepping in as acting Vice Chancellor. His leave was supposed to end on January 30, 2025, and he was expected back the next day.
Kenyatta University Vice-Chancellor Prof Paul Wainaina. /NAIROBI NEWS
However, in December 2024, the university’s Council extended the leave, saying he had to use up his accrued sabbatical days.
The Council, led by Dr. Ben Chumo, insisted that Wainaina finish his leave before his term officially wraps up on July 15, 2025.
On January 30, Wainaina filed a case at the Employment and Labour Relations Court, asking to be reinstated as Vice Chancellor and for the court to cancel a job advert from the PSC seeking applicants for the VC role.
Back in August 2022, Wainaina had been fired over allegations of gross misconduct. Beforehand, he stepped down from his role after refusing to give up part of the university land to the government for the World Health Organisation (WHO) project.
The professor had failed to surrender the title deed of land belonging to Kenyatta University to the WHO, which was setting up a Ksh600 million emergency hub to cater for its regional operations. He defended by arguing that the university was not consulted during the plans to set up the facility on the land.
Separately, the court also nullified the appointment of James Ole Nampushi, Deputy VC of Maasai Mara University, calling his selection by the PSC unlawful.
This came after Rolex Kimani Wakiaga filed a petition in June the previous year, accusing Nampushi of faking his academic credentials.
