Workers call for State intervention to save university

**Jack Willis Okumu Abok the Secretary of University Academic Staff Union (UASU) Moi University Chapter.** [File, Standard]

At least 3,000 employees of Moi University have appealed to the Ministry of Education to save the institution.

In a letter addressed to Education Principal Secretary in charge of University Education and Research Simon Nabukwesi, the Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu) paints a grim picture of an institution rocked by serious challenges.

The letter seen by The Standard, lists grievances including non-remittance of payroll deductions for two years, which has resulted in the collapse of 64 staff welfare groups.

Other challenges cited are closure of satellite campuses, lack of medical cover and dissolution of courses. According to the employees, the future of the institution looks bleak and there is need for urgent action to remedy the situation.

The workers also complained of neglect of the iconic Margaret Thatcher library, which was established by Kenyan and the British governments in the late 1980s.

The letter signed by Uasu Moi University chapter secretary Jack Abok, blamed the leadership for not addressing the challenges.

Efforts to get a comment from Vice Chancellor Isaac Kosgey were futile. His mobile phone was not going through. However, he read our WhatsApp message but did not reply.

The letter said non-remittance of loan deductions to banks and Saccos had affected workers’ credit worthiness.

“KCB has resolved not to give any loan to Moi university staff. Some cooperative societies, Mwalimu Cooperative notably, have not only withdrawn credit facilities from us but will not give us dividends,” the letter dated November 17, reads in part.

On non-remittance of payroll deductions, the letter says the VC and Deputy Vice Chancellor Daniel Tarus, claimed that the capitation sent to the University was inadequate, covering only 70 per cent of the university budget.

“We have grounds to question the merits of this defence,” says the union. Uasu cited dissolution of Human Resources and Aerospace programmes as well as lumping of the school of public health with that of social sciences in recent changes.

“At the height of the PSSP/Module 2 (parallel degree programmes) windfall, Moi University had opened satellite campuses all over the country. One ill-advised idea was the opening of a campus right at the centre of Nakuru town. On mainly economic grounds, the Nakuru Campus had to fold up,” the letter says.