NAIROBI, Kenya – The University of Nairobi (UoN) has been ordered to pay a former student Sh3 million in compensation after the High Court found that the institution unlawfully blocked her from graduating at the last minute.
The ruling followed a case brought by Marceline Murono, who had expected to graduate during UoN’s 70th graduation ceremony on December 15, 2023.
The university held the ceremony on that date, graduating more than 5,700 students at its Chancellor’s Court.
Murono’s case centred on the circumstances surrounding her exclusion from the final list of graduands despite having made preparations to participate in the ceremony.
According to the details of the case, Murono learnt on the morning of the graduation ceremony that her name had been removed from the final graduation booklet.
The development came after she had already completed key preparations for the ceremony, including paying her fees, collecting her graduation gown and attending the official rehearsal.
She had also made arrangements for family members, friends and colleagues to attend the graduation and celebrate the milestone with her.
The sudden exclusion therefore left her unable to participate in a ceremony for which she had prepared and expected to graduate.
UoN’s 70th graduation ceremony was officially scheduled for December 15, 2023, with the university requiring prospective graduands to complete the necessary graduation requirements ahead of the event.
High Court Justice Lawrence Mugambi ruled that the university’s actions violated Murono’s constitutional rights.
The court found that UoN violated her rights to human dignity and fair administrative action, while also finding that the circumstances subjected her to significant psychological distress.
Justice Mugambi described the consequences of the university’s decision as involving agony, disappointment, shame and embarrassment, particularly because Murono had already informed people close to her about the graduation.
The judgment effectively found that the university could not simply remove her from the graduation process at the last minute without following a fair administrative process.
The compensation awarded by the court amounts to Sh3 million.
Beyond the financial compensation, the court ordered the University of Nairobi to issue Murono with an unqualified apology within 30 days. If UoN fails to issue the apology within the stipulated period, the university will have to pay an additional Sh1 million, increasing the compensation to Sh4 million.
Murono was also awarded Sh24,000 in special damages, in addition to the applicable court costs and interest.
The ruling comes against the backdrop of other disputes involving students who have complained about delays in clearance, examination results and inclusion in graduation lists.
The High Court has previously dealt with a separate petition involving University of Nairobi students who alleged that the institution failed to release their examination results and prevented them from graduating despite having fulfilled academic requirements.
