It's bad news for students of financially troubled Moi University as more than 900 lecturers started their strike Wednesday, effectively paralysing learning at the institution.
The dons say they're downing their tools after the university failed to honour a back-to-work deal reached last year. The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) worth Sh8.6 billion in salary and statutory deduction arrears was reached in November 2024 and had ended the previous strike.
“It is unfortunate that the university management has not implemented any of the 25 clauses of the CBA despite the government releasing Sh500 million as part of the deal,” said Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu) Moi University Chapter Secretary Dr Busolo Wegesa.
He disclosed that the university has not remitted deductions for the pension scheme amounting to Sh4.6 billion. In addition, he said, lecturers cannot access health services because deductions for contributions to the Social Health Authority (SHA) have not been remitted for the last three months.
“We are not demanding any salary increment but simply what belongs to us under the Return-to-Work Formula signed with the university management,” said Dr Busolo.
Under the deal signed last November and witnessed by Higher Education Principal Secretary Dr Beatrice Inyangala, the workers were to receive Sh2.6 billion in cash and assets, including an immediate release of Sh500 million.
The university was also expected to surrender assets — land in Kitale, Nairobi and Mombas worth Sh2.1 billion to the union’s pension scheme.
In addition, Sh1.25 billion was to be factored into the 2025/2026 financial year to settle the 2013/2017 CBA arrears, while another Sh3.3 billion would be released in 2026/2027 to settle bank loans and pension arrears.
The final tranche of Sh1.75 billion was to be released in the 2027/2028 financial year to clear pending payments.
“The Sh500 million was supposed to settle immediate financial needs for workers, but they have not received the money despite its release by the National Treasury,” said Dr Busolo.
The return-to-work formula also allocated Sh100 million for bank loans, Sh30 million for a benevolent fund, Sh40 million for welfare, Sh30 million for a Group Life Insurance Scheme, Sh50 million for union dues and Sh100 million as a refund for loans individually paid by workers.
“As much as we are open to constructive dialogue, the university's new management has not been committed to honouring the deal, seven months after they assumed office,” explained Dr Busolo.
Moi University Acting Vice-Chancellor Kiplagat Kotut.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
On its part, Moi University has admitted that it is struggling to pay salaries despite receiving additional funding from the Treasury. Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Kiplagat Kotut said the institution is considering laying off hundreds of employees to cut down its ballooning wage bill.
“We have invited union officials for dialogue this Friday to see how to resolve the matter,” said Prof Kotut.
Moi University, once a giant in higher learning, has shrunk over the years.
Earlier this year, it sent home 324 contract staff as it struggled to recover from a three-month closure following protests by teaching and non-teaching staff.
Prof Kotut revealed that student enrolment has dropped drastically from 48,000 in 2015 to the current 21,000, making it difficult for the institution to meet its financial obligations, including staff salaries.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba confirmed that the university is grappling with debts amounting to Sh8 billion.
The top factors contributing to Moi University's financial woes are declining enrolment, closure of unviable campuses, reduced exchequer funding due to the implementation of the Differentiated Unit Cost (DUC) in calculating recurrent capitation, and rising personnel costs from National CBAs that remain underfunded.
