A senior lecturer at Masinde Muliro University who had been suspended over a court case linking him to child trafficking for sexual abuse has got his job back. Stephen Odebero was reinstated through a letter dated March 3, 2012 and signed by JM Shigogodi on behalf of the Registrar Administration following his acquittal by of the charges.

The court ruled that no such offence as 'child trafficking for sexual exploitation' existed in law as it had long been repealed. In his ruling on January 24, this year in Kakamega, senior resident magistrate PO Ooko said that the entire charge sheet, including the particulars, were completely at variance with the evidence before court. Odebero had been charged that on October 3, last year he intentionally indulged the travel of a minor from stage Mboga to Shikangania bar with the intent to defile her during the journey.

Odebero had written to the university immediately after the acquittal seeking his job back unconditionally. Odebero also sought to be paid all withheld salary. Allowances and benefits from the date of suspension.

However, the letter reinstating did not mention the payment of responsibility allowances which the don enjoyed before suspension. Odebero was once quoted in the press criticising the manner in which universities were expanding without due regard to availability of infrastructure. Some of his graduate students have written to the university accusing him of arrogance and being overly strict during supervision.