The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Education has assured staff at Moi University that it will work to resolve long-standing welfare and governance issues affecting the institution.
The assurance came after officials from the Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU), Moi University Chapter, appeared before the Committee to present a memorandum outlining concerns over staff redundancy, financial hardship, and unresolved human resource matters.
Committee Chairperson Julius Melly, who is also the Tinderet MP, said the Committee is committed to helping public universities, including Moi University, overcome challenges through sustainable and inclusive measures.
“This Committee has taken a keen interest in resolving the issues affecting universities. We are particularly keen on supporting Moi University to ensure it can sustain itself and its staff,” Melly said.
During the meeting, the union raised concern over what they termed as non-consultative redundancy notices issued to young and middle-aged employees. They argued that these actions risked weakening succession planning and long-term continuity at the university. The officials also questioned why some services that were previously handled internally were being outsourced shortly after declaring related staff positions redundant.
The union said some offices that used to have at least four employees are now left with only one or none, leading to strained operations in critical departments such as finance, laboratories, and administration.
“Redundancy must not be used as a tool to punish or discriminate against staff. The welfare of workers is the foundation of academic excellence,” said Nominated MP Jerusha Momanyi.
Financial issues were also brought to the Committee’s attention. The union reported that Moi University has not remitted third-party payroll deductions — including pension contributions, SACCO loan repayments, insurance premiums, and staff welfare funds — since 2018. These delays have pushed some staff members into financial distress, with some being blacklisted by credit reference bureaus or taken to court by lenders.
According to documents tabled before the Committee, the pending remittances as of June 2022 stood at KSh 8.6 billion — a figure that has reportedly continued to grow. The union warned that the situation is eroding staff morale and putting their long-term financial stability at risk.
The officials further expressed concern over the delayed implementation of several Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs). They said the university is still operating under the outdated 2012–2013 CBA, despite having signed new internal CBAs covering the periods 2013–2017, 2017–2021, and 2021–2025. They argued that the delays have stalled career growth and created wage inequalities among staff.
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