Negotiations to resolve the lecturers’ strike at Moi University have failed after the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the university council could not reach an agreement on the workers’ concerns.
UASU announced a breakdown in reconciliation talks that were facilitated by the Ministry of Labour in Eldoret. Labour officer Carolyne Chemursoi, who oversaw the unsuccessful meetings, will issue disagreement certificates to both the union and the university council, in accordance with labor laws. This means the strike involving 900 lecturers will intensify.
Nyabuta Ojuki, UASU Secretary for the Moi University chapter, stated they would follow legal provisions to escalate the strike. “We have held several meetings, but the talks collapsed primarily because the university council, our employer, did not commit to addressing our concerns,” Ojuki said.
Key grievances include the failure to implement Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) provisions, particularly the latest one covering the 2021-25 period. UASU is also demanding the release of Sh5 billion deducted from lecturers’ salaries meant for their pension scheme, which the university has failed to remit.
Richard Okero, chairman of the union at the university, emphasized that the return of these funds was a prerequisite for negotiations. “We will not allow our members to continue suffering by calling off the strike. If we can’t be assured of our pension, it means a bleak future, which is completely unacceptable,” Okero stated.
Additionally, the union seeks the return of Sh1.3 billion deducted from employees for servicing bank loans. Okero noted that 53 staff members have faced lawsuits for loan defaults, even though the university had deducted the necessary funds.
The lecturers are also demanding payment for their delayed salaries for July and August. The Ministry of Labour had organized reconciliation meetings to address the ongoing strike, now in its fourth week, following a request from university council chairman Humphrey Njoroge for mediation.
Chemursoi led four meetings, but no agreement was reached. The last meeting, attended by Njoroge and Vice-Chancellor Professor Isaac Kosgey, ended without resolution. The union has firmly stated it will not end the strike until their demands are met.
“They continue to make false promises, and unless we receive payment, we will not return to work,” Ojuki warned. Two weeks ago, Njoroge urged UASU’s secretary general Constantine Wasonga to encourage lecturers to resume work while their issues were being addressed, but the union refused.
Wasonga insisted that the university must comply with the lecturers’ demands; otherwise, services will come to a standstill with a full-scale strike involving all workers. He accused the government of neglecting higher education institutions and indicated plans to call for participation from all universities in the strike.
Last week, national UASU officials led demonstrations in Eldoret to advocate for the payment of delayed salaries and the implementation of their 2017-2021 CBA. The union has also declared a dispute regarding the 2021-25 CBA.
