Moi University is staring down a potential shutdown of academic activities after lecturers lease a strike notice as financial instability, unpaid salaries, and declining student enrolment plague the university.
The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has issued a strike notice, warning that lecturers will withdraw their services starting tomorrow, Wednesday, August 20, 2025, unless the university settles outstanding salaries and honours its obligations under the 2021–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
In a letter to Council Chairperson Prof Noah Midamba, UASU National Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga demanded full payment of June and July salaries, implementation of the CBA, and adherence to a previously negotiated return-to-work formula that had ended a three-month strike earlier this year.
The union said the university had failed to release Ksh500 million as promised under the agreement, part of a broader Ksh2.6 billion bailout in cash and assets. The CBA also allocated Ksh7.7 billion for phased implementation that is, Ksh4.3 billion in the 2025/2026 financial year and Ksh5.2 billion in 2027/2028.
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The university is also grappling with a steep drop in student numbers, which have fallen from 48,000 in 2025 to just 21,000 in this academic year. The decline has heavily seen the decline of tuition revenue, leaving the institution heavily reliant on government support.
Acting Vice Chancellor Kiplagat Kotut acknowledged the financial strain and announced plans to lay off hundreds of employees as part of a restructuring effort. “The reorganisation may be painful, but it is necessary to restore the university’s self-sufficiency. We cannot continue depending entirely on the government,” Kotut said in the past
UASU Chapter Organising Secretary Ojuki Nyabuta urged lecturers to stand firm, saying the situation affects all academic ranks. “We appeal to academics of all levels to defend their rights. No one can remain comfortable under these conditions,” he said.
The looming strike threatens to disrupt preparations for the admission of first-year students for the 2025–2026 academic year.
By Masaki Enock
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