KU petitions MPs to recover 100-acre land

Kenyatta University acting VC John Okum says they are unable to use the land despite parliamentary findings affirming ownership. [File, Standard]

Kenyatta University has asked Parliament to help it reclaim more than 100 acres of land that has been encroached by squatters.

The university’s management is also seeking to have full ownership of the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital, amid parliamentary directives issued several years ago that were ignored.

Kenyatta University acting Vice Chancellor John Okum told the National Assembly Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education that they are still unable to use the land despite previous parliamentary findings affirming the university’s ownership of both the land and hospital.

The Committee, chaired by Luanda MP Dick Maungu, heard that the university has been unable to repossess the more than 100-acre parcel, with the blame placed on ‘powerful and influential squatters’ still occupying the land.

“About 140 acres of land have been encroached on. We are negotiating for more space and our negotiations are out of desperation. We need the help of this Committee,” Prof Okumu said.

The Committee vowed to ensure the land is repossessed and the squatters kicked out, saying there is political goodwill to ensure this happens, since those who have encroached do not have documentation of ownership.

The Committee was concerned over the continued defiance of parliamentary recommendations, even as they accused powerful and politically connected people of frustrating the process of restoring the university’s property.

They said that they will pursue the matter to the end and condemned acts of corruption that have seen the land grabbed.

Central Imenti MP Moses Kirima said the Committee is dealing with a weighty matter and so connected were the individuals previously involved that saw some people in the university’s management lose their jobs. 

“This is a weighty and serious matter. The then office holder who tried to pursue this issue of squatters was suspended from office. Powerful people are involved in grabbing land and misuse of funds.

‘‘We must stand our ground. We are fighting very powerful cartels, people who have built bungalows and storey buildings are not small people,” Kirima uttered.

His sentiments were echoed by Sotik MP Francis Sigei, who proposed the idea of considering involvement of the Ethics and anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to take up the matter.

“So far nothing has happened, why can’t we recommend that EACC and DCI be brought in?” Sigei posed.

The MPs were also concerned over the fact that Kenyatta University Referral Hospital is still not under the university’s control despite an earlier parliamentary directive, and affirmed that the committee will follow up with the relevant ministries and agencies as well as the National Assembly Committee on Implementation to establish why previous House resolutions have not been implemented.

“It is in the interest of this Committee to have the hospital revert to the university and it is my prayer that this Parliament makes it happen,” Maungu said.

The Vice Chancellor was also concerned that the university is still to regain control of the Kenyatta University Referral Hospital despite recommendations by Parliament that the facility should revert to the institution.

He said the university operates as a parastatal and had to negotiate to allow some medical students at level 5 and 6 to use the facility and is still negotiating with the hospital to allow more space.

“The hospital is still not in the hands of the University, they have allowed us some space. The hospital was conceived as a project of the university. It was supposed to be a university hospital but there were forces that may have come in and things changed. The MoUs we have signed are out of desperation and we are looking for more space, now we are begging and we are still negotiating,” Okumu said.

Medical students have been forced to travel to other hospitals to practice while the KU referral hospital is within the institution’s horizon.

According to the recommendations of a report dated September 29, 2021, the then Health and Education Ministers were required to ensure that the university is granted full access to the hospital for use by its College of Health Sciences.

It also required the then President Uhuru Kenyatta to revoke legal notice no. 4 of 2019 and revert the facility to the KU within six months of the adoption of the report.