Suspended Kenyatta University (KU) Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Professor Waceke Wanjohi, has moved to the Nairobi Employment and Labour Relations Court seeking to have the appointment of the institution’s new Vice Chancellor, Professor John Okumu, declared unlawful and set aside.
In a petition dated July 27, 2026, filed through lawyer Chris Mutuku, Wanjohi argues that Okumu’s appointment by the KU Council violated the Constitution and was procedurally flawed. She wants the court to nullify the decision and declare the VC position vacant.
Her application seeks “a declaration that the appointment of the 5th respondent (Professor John Okumu) as the Vice Chancellor, Kenyatta University, was unmerited, improper, illegal and contrary to the law.”
Wanjohi has also challenged her own suspension from duty, which was communicated through a separate letter dated July 27, 2026. She wants the court to strike it down, describing it as “irregular, unprocedural, unlawful and improper, and was accentuated by malice, ill-will and vendetta.”
Beyond contesting the two decisions, the petition asks the court to reverse a notice removing her as a Trustee of the KU Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme, and to quash a separate notice requiring her to show cause over alleged breaches of Chapter 6 of the Constitution, a move that could have led to her dismissal. Most strikingly, she is asking the court to compel the KU Council to appoint her as the substantive Vice Chancellor.
Okumu was named substantive VC on Thursday after the university said he emerged top in a competitive recruitment process run by the Public Service Commission, ending more than six months of leadership uncertainty following the retirement of former VC Paul Wainaina.
Wanjohi had earlier contested the same recruitment process at the High Court, claiming she was the rightful successful candidate following interviews held in March and pushing for the release of interview results and scores. That case was struck out after a judge ruled such disputes fall squarely within the jurisdiction of the Employment and Labour Relations Court, prompting her fresh petition.
The matter is before Justice Jacob Gakeri, who on July 31, 2026, directed the Education Cabinet Secretary, the Attorney General, the Public Service Commission and the KU Council to respond within 14 days. Parties have been given a similar window to exchange submissions, with the case set for mention on October 5, 2026, to fix a date for judgment.
