Moi University Staff Threaten Strike Over Redundancy Notice Affecting 75 Employees

Moi University staff have threatened to embark on industrial action following the issuance of a redundancy notice affecting 75 employees, including senior lecturers and professors.

Speaking on Monday, Robert Oduor, secretary of the Moi University Academic Staff Union chapter, condemned the university's acting management for the move, describing it as contradictory and unjustified. He highlighted concerns over the simultaneous advertisement of part-time lecturer positions in the same departments where staff members have been declared redundant.

"We strongly reject the decision by the university management to declare 75 of our members redundant while recruiting part-time lecturers to fill similar roles," Oduor said. He questioned whether a financial audit had been conducted to justify the redundancies and challenged the logic of firing permanent staff while hiring others.

Oduor also pointed out the heavy workload faced by remaining lecturers, some of whom are handling classes exceeding 1,000 students. The union demands the immediate withdrawal of the part-time lecturer adverts and the redundancy notice.

Failure to comply, Oduor warned, would result in staff ceasing teaching duties, refusing handovers, and initiating legal proceedings at the Employment and Labour Relations Court.

Another union member criticized Moi University's staffing approach, noting that while other public universities are increasing staff in preparation for the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), Moi University appears to be reducing its workforce, raising questions about its readiness for the educational reforms.

The union also disputed university claims regarding current staff numbers, pointing out inconsistencies in the reported figures after previous redundancy exercises.

Staff have expressed frustration over repeated attempts to remove permanent and pensionable employees, urging the management to adopt alternative recovery strategies rather than continuing with redundancies.

In summary, the Moi University Academic Staff Union has made it clear that the redundancy notice and related recruitment adverts must be withdrawn immediately to avoid escalation of the conflict.