Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology (JKUAT) vice chancellor has escaped a jail term in a case students had sued her for leaving them out of the graduation list a year ago.
According to the ruling by Justice Anyara Emukule, Vice Chancellor Mabel Imbuga did not act in any contempt of court and was therefore not guilty.
In the case, 83 engineering students from Technical University of Mombasa, then a JKUAT constituent college, had sued JKUAT for denying them the opportunity to graduate in 2015.
Earlier in 2015, Lady Justice Mary Kasango had ruled that the students graduate and ordered JKUAT to help them in the process.
But Prof Imbuga and JKUAT’s Chief Legal officer Vivian Waithaka had ignored the order, something the made the students cite them for acting in contempt of court.
The university however argued that they had had no time to package all the students’ information and finalise their documents in time for graduation.
“In the circumstances, I am unable to say that JKUAT or its personnel acted in contempt of the court’s order. I think, they were in a dilemma and purported to carry out the court’s orders by issuing degrees,” Justice Emukule said.
The judge also ruled that 64 of the total 83 be allowed to complete their course at either JKUAT or TUM without being charged any additional tuition fees.