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Teaching and non-teaching staff at the financially troubled Moi University have petitioned President William Ruto to change its top management over poor leadership.

The staff has asked the Head of State to move with speed and save the public institution from imminent collapse over massive mismanagement of resources by the university management.

Through their unions University Academic Staff Union (UASU), Kenya University Staff Union (UASU) and Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Education Institutions, Hospitals and allied workers, (KUDHEIHA) implored upon the president act in the best interest of the university fraternity and the country in general.

Speaking in Eldoret town, the union officials castigated the university management under the leadership of the Vice Chancellor Prof Isaac Kosgey of declining their request for a meeting to iron out issues that were bedeviling the institution.

“The entire teaching and none teaching staff are suffering and demoralized. Our salaries are not paid monthly as they should be. There are no ongoing projects in this university. Please come back home
and save Moi University,” said Lazarus Kibet, of the striking workers.

Kibet said that more than 700 casuals on contracts have not been paid for eight months and yet they are expected to be at their work stations from Monday to Friday.

Those of us on contracts are the worst hit. We cannot afford to pay rent or provide the basic needs for our families,” complained Kibet.

The UASU chapter chairman Dr Richard Okero revealed that the lecturers have not been paid for one month, a trend he claimed has forced most of their colleagues to skip work.

“We have not received our July salaries. We have also been told that our salaries will be slashed by half.

How will that be tenable for us in view of the economic situation we are facing?” posed Okero. Okero further said that they hoped that the new university funding model would cure the salary delay issue that has been the norm at the institution.