Moi University academic staff are facing fresh hurdles in their bid to resume duties after the university management began issuing dismissal and suspension letters to leaders of staff unions.
Busolo Wegesa, the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) Chapter Secretary at Moi University, confirmed on Tuesday that the university management had started handing out dismissal letters to the leadership of all academic staff unions.
Wegesa described the move as a significant setback for the resumption of academic activities, despite the university’s official reopening.
“Moi University has started handing out dismissal letters.
As of now, all leaders of the staff unions have received their notices,” Wegesa said, adding that the actions had significantly impacted the morale of the staff.
A senior official from the Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU) also echoed these concerns, explaining that the issuance of suspension and dismissal letters had only intensified the staff’s resolve to fight for their rights.
“We just want them to pay our loans and the deductions they have taken from us.
We will return to work once we are paid.
A salary is our right, and we cannot be forced to work just because they’ve paid our salaries for the past two months,” the official stated.
The union representatives also accused the university management of attempting to divide the staff by selectively handing out suspension letters, which they believe is a tactic to instill fear and pressure employees into returning to work.
“This has only made us more determined to fight for our rights,” they added.
Wegesa further revealed that despite a directive from Members of Parliament for the university management to engage in dialogue with employees, the management ignored the request.
Instead, they began issuing warning letters as soon as the parliamentary committee left the premises on November 6, which later escalated to suspensions for union leaders.
“We believe there are forces within the administration who do not want to resolve the issues at Moi University.
They seem to be trying to silence the staff by using intimidation,” Wegesa said.
The ongoing dispute, centered around unpaid salaries and other financial grievances, has raised concerns that the disruptions at Moi University could lead to a prolonged shutdown of academic activities, including a potential delay in graduation ceremonies.
“Graduation will not take place until our issues are addressed.
The university uses an ERP system to process the graduation list, but that system is broken.
We are now relying on manual processes, and the lecturers still on strike are the ones supposed to complete this work,” Wegesa concluded.
As the standoff continues, the future of academic activities at Moi University remains uncertain, with staff demanding the resolution of their financial issues before they return to work.
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