A court has ordered the Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology (JKUAT) to pay its former Vice-Chancellor Ksh12.2 million from the period she served in office.
Justice Onesmus Makau of the Employment and Labour Relations Court also ruled that Mabel Imbuga was entitled to the dues as her exit package after working as the Vice-chancellor for 10 years.
Imbuga assumed office as Vice-Chancellor in 2008 and completed her tenure in 2018, becoming the institution's first VC to finish two 5-year terms.
The former VC went to court to compel the university to pay the full amount based on the exit package. She stated that the university still owed her Ksh12.2 million.
Further, she accused JKUAT of failing to remit her pension contributions, which was based on her basic salary of Ksh744,048 and not Ksh248,848 as claimed by the university.
She cited that the institution's failure to implement the exit clause was cause for a breach of contract of service and that the move discriminated her since other former VCs were given their exit package.
The university, through registrar administrator Rose Gathu alleged that a circular issued by the State Corporations Advisory Committee (SCAC) and the Public Service Commission (PSC) directed that the basic salary be reverted to that of a professor upon completion of the tenure as the Vice-Chancellor.
Gathu detailed that the exit package was based on the 2003 terms and not the 2014 terms. The institution alleged that the former VC had been paid a substantial amount in 2020, and was in fact overpaid by Ksh2.4 million. They sought the case to be dismissed arguing that they had already paid her dues.
Justice Makau however, dismissed the argument by the university and ruled in favor of Imbuga arguing that she was entitled to her payment.
Initially, Imbuga had taken the institution to court in 2020 seeking to be paid the due amount. She cited that JKUAT had denied her rightful dues on the basis of reduced funding from the government to the institution.
The judge reviewed the case and gave JKUAT 21 days to calculate the amount owed to the former VC and to pay her rightful dues.
