- This is after the institution failed to implement their 2017 CBA agreement and delayed salaries among other grievances.
- The strike is to be launched today at the College of Health Sciences in Eldoret.
Image: MATHEWS NDANYI
Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has declared a full-scale strike by its members at Moi University from Monday, August 26.
This is after the institution failed to implement their 2017 CBA agreement and delayed salaries among other grievances.
Uasu branch secretary Ojuki Nyabuta on Monday said the move follows a consultative meeting attended by national officials which upheld the sanctity of the strike notice issued on Monday, August 19.
The strike is to be launched today at the College of Health Sciences in Eldoret.
Ojuki said that the strike will continue until all the demands in the notice are met.
He further noted that and that the strike shall only be called off after negotiating and signing the Return to Work Formula (RTWF).
“As an academic member of staff whose salary not only gets paid perennially late but has lately not been paid for two months now, we say no such continued mistreatment of our members,” Ojuki said.
Last week the Moi University Council and management met with lecturers' union in a bid to resolve the salary crisis that had led to a go-slow by more than 3,000 employees.
Council chairman Dr Humphrey Njoroge said they had requested the meeting with UASU to explain and consult over issues including salary delays and failure to implement the 2017-2022 CBA.
“We called the meeting to consult with the union and we have agreed on the way forward on resolving the issues they have,” Njoroge said.
He had told the Star on phone that they would implement all that was agreed on by the UASU Moi University chapter officials.
However, UASU officials led by Oyuki said nothing had been achieved hence the decision to call order the strike..
“We will remain on strike unless we get our salaries paid in full diagonally as per the 2017 CBA we will not be back,” Oyuki said.
He confirmed that they met with the university council and management led by VC Professor Isaac Kosgey but there was no commitment by the management as to when the disputed issues would be implemented.
The more than 3,000 employees of the university have staged a go-slow for the last three weeks to protest against frequent salary delays and other work-related issues.
They had threatened to stage a full-blown strike if the university management led does not resolve their demands.
The workers led by UASU officials and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) have petitioned President William Ruto to intervene and have their plight resolved.
Mary Chepkwemoi who is KUSU secretary said their members had boycotted duty at the main campus and at the College of Health Sciences.
“We have not been paid July salaries and many of on contracts have not been paid for eight months now,” Chepkwemoi said.
She said the university had failed to remit all salary deductions to pay loans and other financial obligations with bank institutions for the last seven years.
The officials said the workers were in heavy debt and some of them had died because of financial frustrations caused by the university.
Okero said one of the financial institutions had sued workers whose assets were now being auctioned because the university had failed to remit deductions for payment of loans.
The workers demanded that VC Kosgey and the university council should resign.
“We are asking Ruto to ensure that we have new management at Moi University failure to which the university will collapse,” Chepkwemoi said.
The workers on Tuesday carried out protests at the main campus at the medical school in Eldoret to protest against the salary delays.
But Njoroge insisted that they had no serious issues with employees most of whom he claimed were on duty.
He admitted that the university like others in the country was still facing financial challenges leading to salary delays and other challenges.