Controversy arises over UoN VC appointment
University of Nairobi (UoN) after the institution officially appointed Professor Ayub Njoroge Gitau as its new Vice-Chancellor (VC)
Fresh controversy has erupted at the University of Nairobi (UoN) after the institution officially appointed Professor Ayub Njoroge Gitau as its new Vice-Chancellor (VC) despite an ongoing court dispute over the recruitment process.
The appointment was approved during a special sitting of the university council held on Thursday, May 14, ending months of uncertainty and leadership wrangles that have rocked Kenya’s oldest university.
In a statement, the council announced that Gitau would become the institution’s 9th substantive Vice-Chancellor, saying the changes were intended to usher in a new era of leadership, academic excellence, and institutional stability.
However, the announcement immediately triggered protests and fresh legal concerns, with Professor Duke Omondi Orata accusing the university council of defying existing court orders that had frozen the recruitment process pending the hearing and determination of a case before the Employment and Labour Relations Court.
Orata claimed the council acted in contempt of court by proceeding with the appointment despite previous judicial directives halting the process.
“They have gone ahead and made the appointment this morning in contempt of previous court orders that ordered a freeze on the process. I am really concerned about this and will be moving to court to press for contempt charges,” Orata said.
Court documents filed in the Employment and Labour Relations Court indicate that Justice Jemimah Wanza Keli had issued directions in April 2026 touching on the contested recruitment process, with the matter scheduled for mention on May 26, 2026, for further directions and issuance of a judgment date.
The dispute traces back to January 2026, when the court issued fresh orders restraining the University of Nairobi Council from proceeding with the recruitment of a substantive Vice-Chancellor pending the hearing of a case filed by Orata.
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According to court filings, Orata argued that the earlier recruitment conducted through the Public Service Commission (PSC) had already produced a valid merit list in which Professor Bitange Ndemo emerged top, while Orata ranked second.
Following Ndemo’s withdrawal from the race in May 2025, Orata maintains that he automatically became the leading candidate and had a legitimate expectation to be appointed Vice-Chancellor in line with university statutes and recruitment procedures.
Nonetheless, the council also approved the appointment of Professor Josiah Omollo Aduda as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) in charge of Finance, Planning and Development, while praising acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Jesang Hutchinson for steering the university during the transition period.
The prolonged leadership battle at the University of Nairobi has exposed deep divisions between the university council and the Ministry of Education, with previous appointments and decisions repeatedly attracting court cases, political scrutiny, and intervention from Parliament and state agencies.
The institution has been operating under acting leadership since September 2024, following the chaotic fallout involving former VC Professor Stephen Kiama, whose tenure ended amid disputes with the council, financial strain, and governance disagreements that plunged the university into prolonged instability.
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