Broken Deal, Broken Trust: Moi University Lecturers Declare Strike!
“Our employer even wrote to banks instructing them not to grant loans to our members. Many of us cannot access credit.
Moi University lecturers, led by UASU chapter secretary Dr. Busolo Wekesa, declare a strike vowing to paralyze learning until their CBA is implemented. Image: Hubzmedia
By James Gitaka
Lecturers at Moi University have declared an indefinite strike, accusing the institution’s management and council of failing to honor a return-to-work formula signed in November 2024.
Addressing the media on Wednesday, officials of the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), Moi University Chapter, said the industrial action was their last resort after months of unfruitful engagements with the administration.
“We are not going on strike because we enjoy it. We are going on strike because it is the last option left to us,” said Busolo Wekesa, Chapter Secretary of UASU. “We signed a return-to-work formula with 25 clauses that addressed our grievances, but to date, not a single clause has been implemented.”
Broken promises and diverted funds
According to the union, the Ministry of Education had committed to release KSh 500 million in January 2025 to address pressing staff issues, including loan repayments and medical cover. Treasury disbursed the funds, but lecturers allege that Moi University diverted the money to other uses.
“As we speak, many of our colleagues are listed with CRB because of unpaid loans. Auctioneers have taken property, and yet the money meant to ease this burden was diverted,” Wekesa lamented.
The lecturers further accused the management of paying salaries late and in part. Some staff reportedly go for up to three months without a full salary.
“We just want to be treated like our colleagues in other universities who are paid their salaries in full and on time,” Wekesa added.
Pension and promotion crisis
Another major concern is the university’s failure to remit pension contributions for the past five years, leaving retirees destitute.
“If you retire from Moi University today, you retire to die. There is no pension, no group life cover. The institution owes over KSh 4.6 billion to the pension scheme,” Wekesa said.
The union also faulted the administration for stalling academic promotions, despite interviews having been conducted in December 2024. “Our colleagues who moved to other institutions have been promoted to professors, while those who stayed here remain tutorial fellows,” said Wekesa.
Loss of dignity and welfare concerns
Linda Khaemba, Vice Chairperson of the Moi University UASU Chapter, said lecturers were losing their financial dignity due to the management’s decisions.
“Our employer even wrote to banks instructing them not to grant loans to our members. Many of us cannot access credit. What kind of mentorship can we offer students when our own dignity is undermined?” Khaemba posed.
She further decried the lack of a functioning medical cover, forcing lecturers to pay out of pocket for treatment. “Even deductions meant for the government health scheme are not remitted. We are simply asking for our payslips to be honored.”
Strike officially begins
The union said it had exhausted dialogue, including a conciliation process led by the Ministry of Labor, which ended in a certificate of unresolved dispute.
“Today, we formally declare the beginning of our strike against Moi University Council. We will not report to work until the return-to-work formula is fully implemented,” Wekesa announced.
The strike is expected to disrupt learning at the university, which has over 50,000 students. Previous strikes at Moi University have paralyzed academic calendars for months, raising concerns among students and parents.
Despite the standoff, the lecturers maintained they were open to talks—provided the discussions are “serious and solution-oriented.”
“The time for promissory notes is long gone. This time, we demand action,” Khaemba emphasized.
The university is under immense financial pressure, grappling with an approximate KSh 500 million salary arrears and a broader bailout agreement worth KSh 2.6 billion—including phased allocations of KSh 4.3 billion in 2025/26 and KSh 5.2 billion in 2027/28 educationnews.co.ke.
Acting Vice-Chancellor Kiplagat Kotut acknowledged the financial distress, hinting at painful restructuring measures:
“The reorganization may be painful, but it is necessary to restore the university’s self-sufficiency. We cannot continue depending entirely on the government”
Moi University has stated that all academic activities, including first-year admissions scheduled for August 21, would proceed as planned, assuring stakeholders of continuity
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