Students, staff claim university engulfed by corruption
By dennis-lumiti, April 14, 2023Staff and students of Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology have raised alarm over what they termed as runaway mismanagement of the institution.
Officials of KUDHEIHA and Kenya University Students Union claimed the institution was in the red financially due to “massive looting” of its resources.
They alleged that workers went for months without pay and that many, including lecturers, had stagnated in the same salary scales for years. Speaking yesterday, the students and staff also alleged that major projects that were initiated at the Kakamega town-based university years ago remain stalled.
Investigators dispatched
Led by the KUDHEIHA Chapter Secretary-General Victor Masese and his Kusu counterpart Gregory Litsango, the unionists urged the Ministry of Education to dispatch investigators to the university to assess the situation.
“We appeal to the Ministry of Education, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and other relevant agencies to swing into action,” said Masese.“MMUST is being rundown and it will be disastrous when Kenyans wake up one morning and hear news that the institution has been shut down. We are, thus, raising the alarm before we get there,” he added.
Trade unionists, who were addressing the press in Kakamega town, claimed that running of the university had been politicised and was being used as a cash-cow.
They said the university Council always used draconian means to divide the staff and students so as to weaken their voice.
“The university council does not respond to any issues that we raise and run the institution like a private entity,” Litsango noted.
Took over
They said the management took advantage of President William Ruto’s absence to do whatever they felt like.
Ruto took over from late President Mwai Kibaki as Chancellor.
Efforts to reach the Vice-Chancellor Prof Solomon Shivailo remained fruitless as his phone went unanswered.