Moi University on the Brink as Lecturers’ Strike Continues Amid Financial Crisis
Learning at Moi University has come to a halt for the second time in two months following an ongoing strike by lecturers over unresolved salary disputes. Despite students returning to campus last week with hopes of resuming their studies, the protracted strike has paralyzed academic activities, leaving thousands of students in limbo.
In response, the Moi University Students Organisation (MUSO) has once again called for urgent intervention from President William Ruto to avert what they describe as the university’s impending collapse. The institution is grappling with a mounting debt of over Sh12 billion, compounded by allegations of mismanagement. MUSO officials have written to President Ruto through Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, urging him to address the crisis that has been affecting the university for months.
Vincent Tarus Cornelius Kipkoech, the MUSO president, voiced his frustration, emphasizing that the ongoing crisis was severely affecting students, staff, and the surrounding community, particularly in Uasin Gishu County, where the university is located. “We are again asking the President not to watch as Moi University collapses, causing suffering for many students, lecturers, and other workers,” Kipkoech said. He added that some students have spent over eight years at the institution without completing their courses due to constant disruptions in learning.
Earlier this week, the university suspended senior officials of the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) over their involvement in the strike. UASU representatives, including branch secretary Ojuki Nyabuta, were barred from accessing the main campus by university security. Nyabuta confirmed receiving suspension letters from the university’s deputy vice-chancellor for administration, Kirimi Kiriamiti, adding that over 12 union officials had been similarly suspended.
“We have been blocked from entering the university,” Nyabuta said. “We will not be shaken, and we remain on strike until we are paid all our salary-related dues. We will not return to work until our demands are fully met.”
The ongoing strike has already led to the issuance of show-cause letters to over 1,000 lecturers, further deepening the tension between the university’s management and its academic staff. Despite these measures, the strike remains unresolved, with UASU declining to participate in further meetings with university management.
While the government has pledged Sh4.5 billion in funding to help rescue the institution, UASU has dismissed this as inadequate, citing the scale of the university’s financial woes and the ongoing salary arrears.
“The government’s offer is not enough,” said Nyabuta. “We have suffered long enough, and it seems the management is trying to force us back to work without addressing the core issues.”
As the crisis continues to escalate, both students and lecturers are left uncertain about the future of the institution, which has long been a key educational and economic pillar in the region. With the university’s financial situation still unresolved and no clear path forward for the strike, the call for presidential intervention has never been more urgent.
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