Moi University layoffs spark uproar from union chiefs
The union leaders are calling on Moi University management to clarify the criteria used to select staff for redundancy.
Moi University’s move to lay off 899 teaching and non-teaching employees triggered strong backlash from union leaders yesterday.
Constantine Wasonga, Secretary-General of the University Academic Staff Union, and Charles Mukhwaya, head of the Kenya University Staff Union, criticized the decision, describing the process as poorly managed and carried out without proper consultation.
The union leaders are calling on Moi University management to clarify the criteria used to select staff for redundancy, demanding transparency and fairness in the process.
Wasonga raised concerns about the timing, pointing out that the university expects to enroll 13,000 students this September.
"Several departments are now understaffed, with some left completely without lecturers, while others are running with bare minimum personnel," he said.
He also noted that some long-serving lecturers have been dismissed.
“Who will teach the Education students when they arrive in September? We urge management to revoke the redundancy notices before the situation escalates,” Wasonga warned.
Mukhwaya condemned Moi University’s refusal to engage in dialogue amid the crisis.
He rejected allegations of an oversized workforce, attributing the institution’s challenges to corruption and mismanagement instead.
"We demand that acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Kotut Kiplagat rescind the redundancy letters issued last week, or we will take legal action to seek justice for hundreds of affected members," Mukhwaya declared.
He also questioned the university’s claims of financial difficulties, pointing out plans to open a new campus in Baringo County.
"We are prepared to fight this redundancy through the courts. We will not let this injustice go unchallenged," he vowed.
