Sawa sawa, UoN just appointed a new Vice-Chancellor and immediately got slapped with contempt of court accusations. Kumbe, this university drama is the gift that keeps on giving — and honestly, we're here for it.

The Plot Twist Nobody Saw Coming (Well, Actually Everyone Did)

Picture this: Thursday morning, May 14th, the University of Nairobi council is feeling themselves. They've just announced Professor Ayub Njoroge Gitau as the shiny new Vice-Chancellor — the 9th substantive one — and they're probably already planning the inauguration vibes. New leadership era, academic excellence, institutional stability, the whole package, ndio?

Fast-forward like two hours, maybe three, and boom — the court orders have been violated. Professor Duke Omondi Orata is on the phone practically screaming that the university just did the unthinkable: appointed someone while there's a live court case with a freeze order still in effect. Contempt of court charges are coming, and honestly, this is messier than your group chat at 2 AM.

This Saga Is Long, Bruv — We're Talking Months of Chaos

This isn't some random Wednesday beef. This dispute has been simmering since January 2026 when the court first said "hold up, nobody move" on the recruitment process. But apparently, someone didn't get the memo. According to court filings, Justice Jemimah Wanza Keli had already frozen everything pending a case hearing scheduled for May 26th. The case itself goes even deeper — back to 2025 when the Public Service Commission's merit list had Professor Bitange Ndemo at the top and Orata sliding in second.

When Ndemo stepped back in May 2025, Orata argues he automatically became the leading candidate. Sijui, that's how these recruitment things work, right? But nope — the council said "thanks for your patience" and appointed someone completely different. Now we've got court orders flying around like confetti, contempt charges brewing, and a university council that might've just played themselves on a national stage.

The Real Tea: This Is How UoN Rolls

Bana, this is actually peak University of Nairobi behavior. The "leadership battle" that's exposed divisions between the council and the Ministry of Education? That's been the soundtrack to this institution's existence. Previous appointments, fresh court cases, political interference — it's like watching a telenovela but make it Kenyan academia. And now they've got fresh legal drama to add to the collection. The council also appointed Professor Josiah Omollo Aduda as Deputy VC while giving props to the acting VC for keeping things steady, but let's be real — nobody's talking about that right now. Everyone's watching the fireworks from this contempt of court situation.

The Jukwaa Take: UoN really said "let's ignore the court order" on the same day we announce the new VC — that's not just a power move, that's a power fail.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke