The University of Nairobi is now at the center of a major land-grabbing scandal, exposing the rot within its leadership. The situation has been developing for months, but it has now reached a point where the truth can no longer be hidden.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Margaret Hutchinson, Jesang, is deeply involved in questionable dealings concerning the institution’s vast land holdings.
The process has been happening quietly, but recent events have confirmed that university land has already fallen into private hands through suspicious means.
Last year in September, Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka raised concerns in the Senate about land grabbing at the university. He openly questioned the removal of Prof. Stephen Kiama as Vice Chancellor, linking his ouster to the ongoing land theft.
His removal was not just about leadership struggles but was part of a larger scheme to take over prime university property. Immediately after Kiama was pushed out, Prof. Jesang was installed as the acting Vice Chancellor.
This appointment was rushed, raising further suspicions that it was meant to clear the way for a grand scheme involving the university’s land.
The government has been actively protecting those behind these dealings. Just last month, in February, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Migos Ogamba, de-gazetted Prof. Amukowa Anangwe as the Chair of the University Council. This action was directly tied to the secret land deals taking place.
Prof. Anangwe was standing in the way of the corruption and was removed to ensure that the land transfer could go on without any obstacles. However, the courts later overturned this decision, exposing how desperate the people behind this scheme were.
Despite this, the damage was already done, and on 11th March 2025, the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) has confirmed that the university land has already been taken over by individuals through a highly questionable process.
When Senator Onyonka first raised these concerns last year, government officials dismissed his claims as false accusations. Now, with UASU confirming the worst, it is clear that Onyonka was right all along.
The government’s silence on this matter is deafening, showing that those in power have no interest in protecting public institutions. Instead, they are facilitating the destruction of the University of Nairobi in the same way Moi University was brought to its knees by corruption.
The trend is clear. Powerful individuals close to the current regime are now looting the University of Nairobi, just like they have done in other public institutions. The Kamagut Bandit’s tribesmen have taken over, and their focus is not on education but on grabbing everything they can.
If this continues, UoN will lose its land, financial stability, and eventually, its reputation. The same people who dismissed these concerns months ago will soon turn around and claim ignorance when the university collapses under the weight of corruption.
If no action is taken, the University of Nairobi will become just another institution looted and destroyed by greedy individuals in government.
The leaders involved in this scandal must be exposed and held accountable before it is too late.
The country is watching, and history will remember those who stood by as Kenya’s top university was turned into a playground for land grabbers.
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