Moi University has suspended officials of the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) due to the ongoing strike that has disrupted learning for the past two months.
The union leaders, including UASU branch secretary Ojuki Nyabuta, have also been blocked from accessing the university and are now locked out of the main campus.
Ojuki confirmed receiving suspension letters signed by the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Administration, Professor Kirimi Kiriamiti.
He stated that the union officials had no choice but to hold their meetings outside the university gates.
“We have received the suspension letters and are blocked from entering the main campus,” Ojuki said.
“We will not be shaken. We remain on strike until all our salary-related dues are paid.”
The ongoing strike has paralyzed learning at the university, despite the reopening of the institution last week and students returning to campus.
The university administration has also issued show-cause letters to more than 1,000 lecturers participating in the strike.
UASU has declined to attend meetings convened by Moi University management to resolve the crisis, citing that the law mandates negotiations with the university council, not the management.
“The management is not our employer. We were invited to meetings on Saturday and Sunday,
but it is only the council that can negotiate with us,” Ojuki explained.
“Until we meet with the council and a proper return-to-work deal is signed, our strike continues.”
The university’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Isaac Kosgey, had issued a circular indicating that learning would resume on November 11, 2024.
However, UASU has insisted that it will not end the strike until the university settles over Sh11 billion in salary-related arrears, including Sh5 billion for the workers’ pension scheme and Sh1.2 billion for bank loans.
A week ago, the parliamentary education committee held a crisis meeting at Moi University, where lecturers and other workers called for the removal of Vice-Chancellor Kosgey.
Committee chair, Nandi Hills MP Julius Melly, noted that the university faced significant challenges and hinted at the possibility of a change in management to resolve the crisis.
Ojuki reaffirmed that the lecturers would not return to class until their dues are paid.
“The university can reopen, but we will not be part of that until our arrears are cleared,” he said.
The standoff remains unresolved, with efforts to end the strike proving unsuccessful.
Suspect In Sh1.5 billion Heist At Equity Bank Detained For 10 Days
Email your news TIPS to Editor@NairobiNews.co.ke
