- Education CS Ezekiel Machogu, UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga were among the mourners.
- He was born in July 1955 at Nyagoko village in Rarieda constituency, Siaya County before he moved and constructed his home near Oyugis town.
Image: ROBERT OMOLLO
Image: ROBERT OMOLLO
Former Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) outspoken chairman Muga K’Olale was buried on Friday with unionists and political leaders eulogizing him as charismatic.
K'Olale was buried at his Oyugis home in Kasipul Constituency.
Education CS Ezekiel Machogu, UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga, MPs Ong'ondo Were (Kasipul), Tom Odege (Nyatike), Samuel Atandi (Alego Usonga) and KUPPET Secretary General Akelo Misori were among the mourners who praised K'Olale as a bold and hardworking unionist.
The CS said K'Olale was a leader who strengthened trade union in Kenya.
“K'Olale is a man who stood firm in the fight for the welfare of university workers. In his death, Kenyans have lost a great leader,” Machogu said.
K’Olale was known for taking a hard position against the government and people who went against the welfare of university dons.
He was born in July 1955 at Nyagoko village in Rarieda constituency, Siaya County before he moved and constructed his home near Oyugis town.
He learnt at Nyagoko primary school and sat his CPE exams in 1968. He joined Tonga High School for O-level education before he proceeded to Agoro Sare High School for A Level studies and completed in 1974.
K'Olale later joined University of Nairobi where he graduated with Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Political Science in 1979.
He rejoined the school and graduated with Master of Science in Political Philosophy.
In 1991, K'Olale was employed as a lecturer in the department of Philosophy and Religion at Egerton University.
He was elected UASU National Deputy Secretary General and served between 2003 and 2005. He served as the union Secretary General between 2005 and 2016.
He served as the UASU national chairman from 2016 and 2021.
K'Olale had two wives Winnie and Mary whom they had ten children.
Wasonga said K’Olale fought for the welfare of workers with integrity and transparency.
“The late comrade was an achiever in the services he did to academic staff at universities in Kenya,” Wasonga said.
K’Olale is also said to have lobbied the state for competitive sourcing of vice chancellors, deputy vice chancellors, principals and deputy principals of universities and their constituents.
Wesonga said he remembered K’Olale as the secretary of the first Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the government and UASU in 2004.
The deceased is among the founders of the 31 UASU chapters.
“K’Olale was the lead negotiator and lobbyist in six CBA cycles between 2006 and 2021. These improved terms of service and earnings of dons,” he added.
MPs Were, Atandi and Odege eulogised K'Olale as a bold leader who contributed to development in education of the country.
His efforts led creation of conducive environment for students to acquire university education through negotiations and signing of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs).
The CBAs motivated university dons in their job.
“K'Olale was a true unionist who fought for welfare his people,” Were said.
Atandi remembered K'Olale as his lecturer who taught him philosophy at Egerton.
“His teachings motivated many of students who took the course at the university,” Atandi.
Odege and Misori accused the government of abandoning professionals.
Odege said delaying salaries of university workers was a frustration. He argued that taxes are collected as usual hence the government has no excuse for delaying workers' salaries.
“The government should respect workers by paying them on time. Kenyans are being taxed heavily yet workers’ salaries are being delayed,” Odege said.
Misori argued that K'Olale did not get good retirement benefits, making him die as a suffering man.
“We want the government to focus on welfare of professionals by giving them good pension schemes,” Misori said.
K’Olale died on April 1 at Matata Nursing Home in Oyugis town.