Kenya: MPs Summon Former JKUAT Officials Over Kigali Campus Land and Sh80m Loan Scandal

What the report says

Kenya’s National Assembly Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education has summoned former senior Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology officials to answer questions about disputed transactions tied to the university’s former Kigali campus in Rwanda. The hearing, reported by Capital FM and distributed by AllAfrica, followed concerns raised during review of the Auditor-General’s report for the year ending June 30, 2025.

Lawmakers want former officials to explain alleged irregularities involving land purchases, an unauthorised loan of more than Sh80 million, and claims of improper transfers of university funds. The committee said current JKUAT management could not be expected to account for decisions made before it took office, and directed former Vice-Chancellor Prof. Mabel Imbuga, former finance deputy Prof. Bernard Otoki, and former Kigali campus director Anthony Luvanda to appear.

According to the article, the audit questioned purchases of two parcels of land in Kigali worth more than Sh19.7 million, as well as a loan facility from I&M Bank Rwanda that was reportedly taken without approval from the University Council, the Ministry of Education or the National Treasury. MPs also cited alleged gaps in procurement records, asset tracking and documentation for about Sh87.8 million in spending linked to the campus.

JKUAT’s current leadership told MPs it had suspended and dismissed the director involved, reported the matter to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, and later disposed of the Kigali properties in April 2026. The inquiry matters because it raises broader accountability questions over public university spending, approval procedures and recovery of any irregularly handled funds.