Uhuru faults Kenyatta University for clash with hospital
What you need to know:
- Mr Kenyatta castigated the university management for opposing plans to cede part of the learning institution’s land to WHO, which is setting up a Sh600 million emergency hub to cater for its regional operations.
- The president said people should learn to understand that government assets are not private and are just held in trust, hence should not be politicised for political gain.
- The university and the hospital have been warring over the land, with the varsity saying it was hived off without its knowledge.
President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday waded into the row between Kenyatta University and its affiliate Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital over the ownership of the land where a WHO facility will be built.
Mr Kenyatta castigated the university management for opposing plans to cede part of the learning institution’s land to the World Health Organisation (WHO), which is setting up a Sh600 million emergency hub to cater for its regional operations.
He maintained that the WHO investment seeks to supplement government efforts in offering quality healthcare.
He said people should learn to understand that government assets are not private and are just held in trust, hence should not be politicised for political gain.
“Whether I live in State House for the last few weeks or inside a hospital or inside this university...this is a property of the Kenyan people held by the government in trust,” Mr Kenyatta said.
Land tussle
The university and the hospital have been warring over the land, with the varsity saying it was hived off without its knowledge.
Speaking to the press last week, Kenyatta University vice-chancellor Paul Wainaina said the idea to grant land to WHO was not in the best interest of the university as no consultations were done and they were not involved.
But without naming names, Mr Kenyatta said some individuals do not reason with the nation in mind, saying such managers should shape up and be ready to go home with him as he retires in a month after his reign in office comes to an end.
“We have individuals who are very ignorant and behave as if they have never entered a classroom… they don’t understand that Kenya has never operated in isolation. We shall deal with those individuals swiftly and very effectively,” he said.
The WHO Emergency Hub will be completed in three years and the Kenyan government has allocated 12.4 hectares with a committed fund of $5 million (Sh600 million) for the investment.
The President launched the hub, accompanied by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and other dignitaries from the health sector.
Dr Githinji Gitahi, Amref Health Africa Group CEO, backed the project, saying it will shape and produce the next generation of the health workforce to fix the gap in the sector.
Mr Kenyatta later addressed squatters outside the facility, promising to provide them with title deeds before he leaves office. He also urged locals to vote for Jubilee candidates next month.
