No end in sight for standoff between university, strikers

Moi University students’ hopes of resuming continued to diminish following a stand taken by the striking teaching and non-teaching staff.

“We have told the students not to expect us in lecturer rooms any time soon because the university management has not addressed any of our grievances since the strike kicked off over 70 days ago,” said the University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) chapter chairman Richard Okero.

He advised the learners to pack their belongings and go back to their respective homes instead of wasting their time and resources at the university.

“The truth of the matter is that there is no learning going on in the lecturer rooms because all the lecturers are still on strike. They will only call off the industrial action when the government meets our three demands,” he added.

Key among the demands is the removal of embattled Vice Chancellor Prof Isaac Kosgey.

Okero has asked the government through the Ministry of Education to expedite the payment of salary and other deductions, amounting to KSh10 billion, and the overhaul of the University Council if they are expected to return to work.

Those most affected by the prolonged don’s strike are first-year students who have never undertaken orientation sessions since they reported to the campus in September.

The staff insisted that the strike was still on while the university management insisted that learning had resumed as earlier announced by the Senate through a memo to all students and employees directing them to resume operations at the university.

The workers termed the memo “inconsequential” communication meant to intimidate workers.

Eunice Tarus, chair of Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions and Hospital Workers (KUDHEIHA) insisted that the strike was still on as she accused the university management for misleading students and the republic about the re-opening.

“As employees of Moi University, we are not aware about the re-opening of this institution. These are just gimmicks from both government and university management,” said Tarus.

Dissolve management

Kenga Mumbo, a lecturer at university’s Kiswahili Department said the announcement by the Senate to re-open the university was aimed at pleasing the government contrary to the situation on the ground, which he termed “volatile”. The don said any re-opening is likely to be a PR exercise if their demands are not met.

He said they had told the National Assembly’s Committee on Education, who toured the institution two weeks ago, that one of the requirements for employees to resume work was to dissolve the entire management body and ensure that workers are paid their pending remittances.

However, he regretted that the university made an announcement to re-open before ensuring that demands of workers and directions issued by the parliamentary committee were adhered to.

“As a lecturer I have no plan to resume teaching until I see my money on my account to confirm that the university has remitted my statutory deductions,” said Mumbo.

Last week striking workers caused a stir when they camped at the main entrance of university chanting ant-VC songs as the management hosted a section of union officials in a meeting meant to strike a deal with workers. The workers accuse the management of using proxies to force them return to work.

“They are threatening to sack us yet they have not adhered to the return-to-work formula as required by the Labour Act,” added Tarus.