NAIROBI — Former University of Nairobi Council member Joel Kibe has come out firmly denying any involvement in a scandal that has gripped one of Kenya’s top public universities.
Mr. Kibe, a prominent businessman and former chair of the UoN Council, was named alongside four others in charges related to the irregular appointment of Daniel Brian Ouma Okeyo as Acting Chief Operations Officer. But through his lawyers, Kibe insists he could not possibly have taken part because he wasn’t even in the country.
“Our client was not in Kenya on 19th April 2024,” his legal team, Mwaniki Gachoka & Co. Advocates, wrote in a formal letter to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC). “He was on official business in Japan.”
Attached to the letter were flight details, passport pages, and a boarding pass all meant to show Kibe was thousands of miles away at the time the appointment was allegedly made.
Mounting Legal Pressure
The case, which is being handled at the Milimani Law Courts, has stirred public interest. At the heart of it is the allegation that Mr Ouma’s appointment to a key administrative post was made without following proper procedure.
Kibe’s name appeared on a charge sheet that surfaced online last week. But he was not among the four council members arrested and questioned by the EACC on Friday. All four denied the charges and were each released on a cash bail of KSh500,000.
Also named in the case is Council Chairperson Prof Amukowa Anangwe. The others have yet to make public statements.
Ouma, the appointee at the centre of the case, is facing a separate charge of unlawfully acquiring over KSh32 million in salary money allegedly paid to him under the disputed appointment.
A Council Role That May Have Already Ended
Kibe’s lawyers argue that his appointment to the University Council had, in any case, been revoked well before the controversial hiring.
In their letter to the EACC, which was also copied to the Director of Public Prosecutions, they included a gazette notice that purportedly proves Kibe was no longer an active council member when the decision to appoint Ouma was made.
“These documents clearly show our client was physically absent from the country and was no longer serving on the council,” the letter states. “He therefore could not have participated in any alleged wrongdoing.”
Will the Evidence Be Enough?
Kibe’s team is urging authorities to drop the case against him, calling the evidence “exculpatory” and offering full cooperation with any further investigation.
“Our client is ready and willing to cooperate fully with any lawful investigative process,” the letter concludes.
As pressure mounts on university leadership and the government continues to crack down on alleged abuse of office, legal experts say this case may test the integrity of Kenya’s oversight bodies and their ability to prosecute high-profile public sector cases.
For now, Mr. Kibe insists his hands are clean and that he has the boarding pass to prove it.
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