Moi University Lecturers Issue Fresh 7-Day Strike Notice Ahead of First Years' Reporting Date

• Moi University faces a possible shutdown just days before first-year students report
• Lecturers at the institution threatened to strike over delayed salaries and unfulfilled agreements
• Staff unions called for urgent intervention from the institution's management, council and the Ministry of Education

TUKO.co.ke journalist Harry Ivan Mboto has over three years of experience reporting on politics and current affairs in Kenya

Classes at Moi University could grind to a halt within days, just as first-year students prepare to join the institution next week.

This follows a fresh seven-day strike notice issued by the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), escalating a long-running dispute over salaries and unimplemented agreements.

In a letter dated Tuesday, August 12, and addressed to the university council chair, Noah Midamba, UASU national secretary general Constantine Opiyo accused the institution of failing to honour the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Why did Moi University lecturers issue strike notice?

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He said academic staff had not been paid their June and July salaries and that the return-to-work formula signed on November 30, 2024, remained unimplemented.

“UASU hereby issues a seven-day strike notice with effect from the date of this letter to Moi University Council,” the notice read in part.

In the letter seen by TUKO.co.ke, the union is also demanding the immediate review and promotion of staff as outlined in the CBA, respect for the agreed retirement age, and adherence to workers’ rights under Article 41 and Chapter 4 of the Constitution.

If these conditions are not met, UASU has vowed to withdraw its members’ services from Wednesday, August 20.

“All UASU members at Moi University shall withdraw their labour and shall not resume duty until the return-to-work formula is fully implemented, the June and July salaries are paid in full, and the national CBA 2021-2025 is honoured,” the union stated.

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Moi University staff unions voice frustrations

The Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) Moi University chapter has not yet issued its own strike notice.

However, chapter secretary Mary Chepkwemoi told TUKO.co.ke that they fully support UASU’s demands and will consider joining the strike if the matter is not resolved.

“As per now, we have not issued a similar notice. We will consult our national office about UASU’s seven-day notice. But we are supporting it fully because it is our return-to-work formula that has not been honoured. As colleagues, we are standing with them,” she said.

Chepkwemoi revealed that some staff at the institution are owed arrears dating back to February.

She said several meetings with the local implementation committee and management had yielded no tangible results despite promises to address the matter.

“I think the management should do something fast to talk to UASU, because what they tell UASU also applies to us. They should act quickly and save students from the embarrassment of a strike,” she said.

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Chepkwemoi added that the Ministry of Education should back the institution's management with the necessary resources, specifically calling on Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala to intervene.

She recalled Inyangala's pledge during the institution’s reopening in 2024 after a prolonged strike.

“They said they will make sure that the return-to-work formula will be implemented word by word and coin by coin. Those are the words of PS Inyangala, so they should help the management implement it to ensure our students do not suffer,” Chepkwemoi said.

When are Moi University first years reporting?

The strike threat comes less than a week before first-year students are scheduled to report to the Eldoret-based institution.

The university recently pushed the reporting date from August 13 to August 21, without providing full reasons, although the move is widely believed to be linked to its financial troubles.

In the meantime, incoming students have been advised to apply for government funding through HELB loans and scholarships.

Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.

Source: TUKO.co.ke