Premium
Moi University staff call off strike after Uasu–administration crisis talks
Moi University Council chairman, Prof Noah Midamba second (left), Dr Constantine Wasonga (centre), University Academy Staff Union secretary-general, Prof Kiplagat Kotut second (right), vice-chancellor of Moi University, Dr Grace Nyongesa, the union's chairperson, Dr Busolo Wegesa (right), the union's Moi University Chapter Chairperson, and other officials during a press conference at the institution on September 09, 2025.
Moi University lecturers have called off a three-week strike following a successful crisis meeting between the University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) and the institution's top management, marking a critical step toward resolving the university’s long-standing financial and administrative challenges.
The decision to suspend the strike was announced after a high-level meeting between Uasu, led by Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga and University Council chairperson, Prof Noah Midambo, held at Moi University’s main campus in Eldoret.
The meeting, which also involved Vice-Chancellor Prof Kiplagat Kotut, resulted in a joint statement affirming both parties’ commitment to restoring normalcy and addressing the lecturers’ grievances through continued dialogue and structural reforms.
The strike, which began on August 20 and lasted approximately three weeks, had severely disrupted learning at the financially strained institution.
Lecturers, through Uasu, were demanding the payment of Sh9.7 billion in salary arrears, full implementation of the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), restoration of medical cover, remittance of statutory and third-party deductions, and resolution of pending pension and loan contributions.
While announcing the suspension of the strike, Dr Wasonga noted that the decision was driven by the complex, historical challenges facing the university, issues that require time and joint effort to resolve.
“The crisis meeting has been a significant step towards resolving the issues affecting the university, and as both parties, we are working together to find long-term solutions,” said the union official.
The university management acknowledged its ongoing financial struggles, including difficulties in making timely salary payments.
Speaking during a joint press statement at Moi University’s main campus in Eldoret, Prof Midambo reaffirmed his administration's commitment to resolving the institution’s challenges and restoring its former glory.
Dr Wasonga, on the other hand, expressed confidence in Prof. Midambo’s leadership, stating that he believed in the Council's ability to steer the university back on track.
In the joint statement that was also signed by the University’s Vice-Chancellor Prof Kiplagat Kotut, both parties reiterated their shared commitment to maintaining quality standards at the university.
“We are affirming our collective commitment to upholding high standards of teaching, research, and community service while safeguarding the welfare of our staff,” their statement read.
No programme disruption
They further assured the public that all academic programmes would proceed without disruption.
“All academic programmes at Moi University will continue uninterrupted as scheduled, and all academic activities are ongoing as timetabled,” they stated in the joint communiqué.
During the launch in Eldoret on August 20, Uasu officials vowed not to return to class until all their grievances were addressed by union leaders. They had alleged that there had been attempts to intimidate lecturers into resuming work under threat of dismissal.
Their demands included payment of salary arrears, remittance of statutory and third-party deductions, restoration of medical cover, pension contributions, and resolution of outstanding staff loans.
Uasu’s Moi University chapter was led by Chairperson Richard Okero, Acting Secretary, Dr Dan Mukhwana, and Organising Secretary Nyabuta Ojuki, who reiterated that they would not return to work without concrete resolutions.
The union had previously called off a similar strike in November 2024, following a three-month standoff. At the time, Uasu, alongside the Kenya Universities Staff Union (Kusu) and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, and Allied Workers (Kudheiha), signed a return-to-work agreement that later went unfulfilled.
More than 900 academic staff and 2,300 non-teaching employees had resumed duties following that agreement.
Dr Wasonga had announced then that the government, through the Cabinet Secretary for Education, had provided a roadmap to meet the Sh8.6 billion wage-related demands from the workers.
“To the workers, let us go back to work on Monday. Although we did not get everything we wanted, at least we got something. Even the tail is meat,” said Dr Wasonga on November 20, 2024.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, who witnessed the signing of the November agreement, acknowledged that Moi University was in crisis and promised immediate government intervention, including restructuring the university’s leadership.
The former University Council Chairperson, Mr Humphrey Njuguna, also conceded that the university’s image had significantly deteriorated.
