Members of the National Assembly Education Committee have called for the disbandment of Moi University management amid an ongoing strike.
The committee, led by Tinderet MP Julius Melly, is now calling for the immediate disbandment of the university's current management team.
The committee’s recommendation comes in the wake of an escalating stand-off between the university’s administration and its academic staff over unresolved wage issues, which have led to a prolonged strike that has paralysed learning at the institution.
While meeting with striking staff on Friday, November 8, 2024, MP Julius Melly made it clear that the current management team, headed by Prof Isaac Sanga Kosgey should be disbanded to prevent the university from further collapse.
Melly and other committee members had toured various parts of the university on Friday, including the farm, lecture halls, and other facilities, where they witnessed firsthand the extent of the crisis.
"The entire situation is chaotic," said Melly.
"The university is in a state of disarray, and the current leadership is failing to manage it effectively. We believe that disbanding the current team and placing the university under caretaker control is the only way to save it from complete collapse."
The strike at Moi University has been ongoing for several weeks, with several unions, including the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) at the forefront of the industrial action.
The unions have accused the university's management of failing to engage in meaningful discussions about the substantial debts owed to their members.
University staff members claim they are owed more than Sh10 billion in salary arrears and statutory deductions that have not been remitted.
The outstanding debt is said to have accumulated over several years, creating a deep financial crisis at the institution.
Despite repeated calls for a resolution, the university’s administration, under Prof. Isaac Kosgey, proposed a plan to settle the arrears in three phases.
This proposal, however, was rejected by the unions, who deemed it insufficient and failed to address their concerns in a meaningful way.
The National Assembly Education Committee’s intervention is seen as an effort by the government to mediate the ongoing dispute and bring a resolution to the crisis.
In their visit to the university, committee members had hoped to facilitate dialogue between the university management and the striking unions. However, the impasse persisted, with no significant progress made.
The Education Committee is now recommending drastic action to address what it sees as a failed leadership structure at the university.
In a bid to end the standoff, Prof. Kosgey, the Vice
Chancellor of Moi University had earlier announced that the university would
reopen on Tuesday, November 12, 2024.
He also stated that the administration had developed a payment matrix that would outline how the outstanding salary arrears would be settled.
