The University Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU) unions have condemned Moi University’s decision to declare 900 employees redundant, demanding their immediate reinstatement and warning of potential legal action.
The unions have slammed the move as unjustified, alleging a lack of proper consultation and transparency in the process.
Union leaders, led by UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga and KUSU Secretary-General Charles Mukhwaya, accused the University of dismissing experienced and skilled workers without consulting the unions.
Wasonga demanded that the university revoke all redundancy letters and reinstate the affected workers, noting that Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba had previously assured that no academic staff would be affected by any layoffs.
“We have professors, senior lecturers, and assistant lecturers being declared redundant while others remain. Students are still here, and we are informed that the number of students has increased. Who will teach them?” Wasonga questioned.
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He also challenged the transparency of the university’s criteria for declaring staff redundant, insisting that the process lacked fairness.
Wasonga pointed out that it is absurd for the university to make such decisions when 13,000 students from various regions are scheduled to report in September.
He expressed concern that several departments have been left without lecturers, while others are now operating with skeletal staffing, a situation he said would directly impact students’ learning experience.
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“Who will teach the learners pursuing mandatory courses in Economics and Planning when most of the faculty have been dismissed? Those remaining do not specialize in these subjects. We will not allow our lecturers to be overworked. We demand that management withdraw the redundancy letters before the situation spirals out of control,” he warned.
Wasonga further disclosed that the only lecturer handling German language studies had also been declared redundant, despite active student enrolment. He added that although nearly three schools offer French, only two lecturers remain to teach the language.
He urged the university to adhere to the required student-to-teacher ratio, cautioning that current staffing levels would force lecturers to handle more than three units per semester.
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The unions also took issue with the government’s inaction, accusing it of failing to hold university administrators accountable for financial mismanagement, and claiming that workers are being punished for problems rooted in corruption and poor leadership.
Mukhwaya criticized the University for ignoring their requests for discussions concerning the crisis faced by university workers.
He rejected the explanation that a bloated workforce was behind the layoffs, instead attributing the mass dismissals to rampant corruption and poor governance.
“We are asking the acting Vice Chancellor to retract those redundancy letters sent to workers last week, or we will take legal action to seek justice for our hundreds of members,” Mukhwaya stated.
He highlighted that it is unjust for the university to dismiss hundreds of workers, citing a lack of funds, while simultaneously planning to open another branch in Baringo County.
Acting Vice Chancellor Prof Kiplagat Kotut, while launching phase two of the university’s green energy project, acknowledged the institution’s challenges and promised to address them independently.
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“When we have our issues, some people believe we are heading for disaster. Some think that Moi University is dying, or that we ceased to exist a long time ago. We have challenges, but the most important thing is that we have recognised them and are on the path to finding solutions,” said Prof. Kotut.
He added, “We will not wait for anyone else to fix the problems at this university. As a community, we will do it ourselves. This process may be painful at times and might affect some of us, but if it is essential for saving everyone involved, then it is worthwhile.”
By Cornelius Korir
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