They thought they could bully him into submission, but they forgot where he came from. In his explosive new memoir, "Firm and Forthright," former Kenyatta University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Paul Wainaina reveals how a boy who grew up herding sheep in the chilling winds of the Aberdares found the steel to stand up to the President of Kenya in a battle for the soul of a university.

Launched to a packed house at the Safari Park Hotel, the book is a searing indictment of state capture in higher education.But at its heart, it is a human story. Prof. Wainaina takes readers from his humble beginnings—where resilience was forged in poverty—to the polished corridors of power where he was ordered to surrender 410 acres of university land to the state. His refusal led to his dramatic sacking, a tearful goodbye, and a triumphant, court-ordered reinstatement that stunned the nation.

The 410-Acre Showdown

The memoir peels back the curtain on the chaotic days of July 2022. Wainaina details the "threats, intimidation, and coercion" used by the Head of Public Service to force the University Council’s hand. "I was told to resign or be fired," he writes. "I chose to be fired, because to resign would have been to betray the future generations of students."

• The Sheep Herder's Philosophy: Wainaina credits his early life as a shepherd for his stubborn leadership style. "A shepherd does not abandon his flock when the wolf appears," he writes, a metaphor for his defense of KU's assets against land grabbers.
• The Legal Victory: The book chronicles the lonely legal battle that followed, culminating in a court ruling that affirmed the autonomy of university land—a precedent that now protects institutions across Kenya.

A Legacy Cemented

As he signed copies for eager students and hardened academics alike, the message was clear: Prof. Wainaina is no longer just an administrator; he is a symbol of institutional defiance. Firm and Forthright is not just a memoir; it is a manual on how to say "No" to power, written by a man who paid the price and lived to tell the tale.