Magoha Condemns Kenyatta University After Clash With Uhuru
George Magoha, Cabinet Secretary for Education, has defended the government in the land dispute between the Kenyatta University Council and President Uhuru Kenyatta, which has resulted in Prof Paul Wainaina’s removal from office.
Prof Magoha stated unequivocally in Nairobi on Wednesday, July 13, that all public land in the country, including that of public institutions such as schools, belongs to the government.
Magoha condemned the administration of Kenyatta University amid an ongoing dispute over a plot of land designated by the government for the construction of the World Health Organization (WHO) African regional operations and logistics hub.
According to reports, the administration, led by Vice-Chancellor Prof. Paul Wainaina, has opposed the government’s decision to allow WHO to set up the hub on the grounds adjacent to the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral, and Research Hospital (KUTRH).
On the other hand, Magoha stated that the government is justified in claiming Kenyatta University land for various projects because the government owns all land.
The CS stated that if he had been in Wainaina’s position, he would have resigned.
“The government owns everything and if, by the wisdom of the government, which is headed by the President, pronounces itself in a manner that you feel repugnant to you as a person, the most honorable thing is to walk away.“
“The government can decide that the site of this school is good for a nuclear facility. Once it passes through the cabinet, who do you think you are not to follow? It does not belong to you. All lands belong to the government,” Magoha said on Wednesday.
Furthermore, the CS stated that he chose to back the government because he worked under Uhuru’s administration and believed in his policies.
He did, however, absolve himself of any responsibility for his colleague’s dismissal.
‘If I agree with someone, I will agree with them till death. For example, I will serve the President faithfully until he leaves office.
“Everything I do is for the general public starting with being obedient to my employer and serving the children, I am appointed to do my job by the President whom I take directives from.”
The CS was speaking as Pumwani Boys’ Secondary School in Nairobi broke ground for Competency-based Curriculum (CBC) classrooms.
On Saturday, during a groundbreaking ceremony for the WHO project, a visibly agitated President Kenyatta lectured the university administration, telling them that the land is public property and that they are merely custodians of it.
The President went on to say that those who oppose the project would be dealt with "quickly and effectively.”
Prof Wainaina told staff on Tuesday, July 12, that his job was under threat because the institution refused to hand over land to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral, and Research Hospital (KUTRRH)
Wainaina’s remarks came just days after President Uhuru Kenyatta warned in his famous “Swiftly and effectively’ speech that he would take action against those opposed to land transfer.
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Kenyatta University and the Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital are at odds over ownership of the property in question.
Prof. Wainaina believes that the decision to cede a portion of the land to WHO was not in the best interests of the university because no consultations were conducted.
Magoha Condemns Kenyatta University After Clash With Uhuru
