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Kivutha Kibwana shares his payslip from his time as a university lecturer
13th July, 2025 08:57 PM
Former governor and legal scholar Professor Kivutha Kibwana has publicly shared his payslip, revealing the gross salary he earned during his long tenure as a university lecturer.
Taking to his official X account on Sunday, July 13, 2025, Kibwana disclosed that after 25 years of service as a law lecturer at the University of Nairobi, his gross monthly salary stood at Ksh 81,888.55.
“After teaching at the university for 25 years, my gross salary was Ksh 81,888 & 55 cents,” Kibwana disclosed.
Kibwana on peanut salary
The former governor used the revelation to highlight the harsh realities faced by Kenyan university lecturers, noting that the compensation remains alarmingly low despite the crucial role lecturers play in shaping the nation’s intellectual future.
In addition, Kibwana also lamented the minimal government budget allocated to research, which he said continues to cripple innovation and academic progress in Kenyan institutions.
He noted that many top academics are relocating abroad in search of better working conditions, competitive salaries, and stronger research opportunities.
The former governor also raised concerns over the inaccessibility of higher education, citing high tuition fees that have locked out many young Kenyans from pursuing tertiary education.
“Still, university lecturers earn peanuts. The government research budget is minimal. Many top academicians have gone abroad. Large numbers of youth lack fees. Hence collapse of tertiary education,” he said.
Tenure as a UoN lecturer
Kibwana stopped teaching at the University of Nairobi in 2002. He had served there for 25 years, from 1977 to 2002, as an associate professor, dean of the Faculty of Law, senior lecturer, and head of the Department of Private Law.
He obtained a bachelor’s degree in law from UoN in 1976. He also holds two Master of Laws degrees from the University of London and Harvard University.
Kibwana later transitioned fully into politics, becoming an MP in 2002 and later serving as Governor of Makueni County from 2013 to August 25, 2022.
However, after serving as a governor and announcing retirement from elective politics in November 2022, in 2024, he announced his return to lecture halls at Daystar University.
“I thank God for the opportunity to serve at the Daystar University Law School as a professor. Another New Beginning. Where the youth are, I pray I always be there,” he wrote.
