The High Court on Friday, February 28, halted the implementation of the University of Nairobi’s two-year transformation agenda, which followed a directive from President William Ruto aimed at averting the crisis gripping the prestigious institution.
The court order follows a Cabinet announcement on Tuesday, December 17, stating that the University of Nairobi (UON) had launched an ambitious two-year plan to transform the institution in response to recent financial challenges threatening to derail its operations.
According to the new court directive, the plan— which was to be spearheaded by UON Chancellor Patrick Verkooijen— will be suspended until the hearing and determination of a petition filed by the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), UON Chapter, on March 24.
In his directive, Ruto issued stern instructions to the university’s management, urging them to address the issues facing the institution, which has an annual student intake of over 10,000 across its various faculties.
According to reports, the university currently owes unpaid statutory deductions amounting to Ksh4.1 billion, pension arrears of Ksh7 billion, and pending bills totalling Ksh13.2 billion.
To address the crisis at the university, the revamp programme was launched by Verkooijen and comprised the ‘Big 5’ transformational initiatives, focusing on five major sectors to generate more revenue and align the institution with future workforce demands.
These sectors included green jobs, innovation, artificial intelligence, leadership, and health research.
Over the next 24 months, the university planned to implement a strategy outlining eight strategic objectives with clear action plans and timelines.
It aimed to leverage available resources and partnerships to restore the university to its leading position in higher education and research.
However, the plan was met with resistance from the university’s academic staff, who claimed that the real motive behind it was the institution’s lucrative Ksh200 billion worth of land.
Led by the university’s professors’ association, the staff argued that the plan was poorly conceived, adding that there had been little to no consultation by the Chancellor in its development and implementation.
A key aspect of the transformation plan was the introduction of an asset optimisation master plan, which included commissioning an independent audit and valuation of all the university’s land.
Under the plan, UON, which owns vast prime land across multiple counties, would see some of its land valued and sold, some leased out, and others developed through public-private partnerships to generate the billions needed to fund the reform ambitions and clear the university’s Ksh20 billion debt.
However, the academic staff have opposed this move, criticising Verkooijen’s plan as misguided and failing to address the ‘real’ issues facing the university, such as labour disputes and student unrest.
