Sorry state of Moi University ‘shocks’ MPs

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Sorry state of Moi University 'shocks' MPs
Sorry state of Moi University 'shocks' MPs

Africa-Press – Kenya. The Parliamentary Committee on Education says it is ‘shocked’ with the state of Moi University. Chairman of the committee Julius Melly on Friday there was a need for a caretaker council and management to help rescue the institution.

A strike by workers has paralysed operations for over three months now. Melly said time had come for management changes at the university, where the MPs saw for themselves the sorry state of facilities which have been neglected.

“Moi University is in a sorry state, but as a committee, we will recommend measures to help operations resume as soon as possible,” Melly said. Melly spoke after the committee held a lengthy crisis meeting at the university amid a standoff between lecturers, other workers, and the management.

The Tinderet MP said they had directed the management of the university to agree on a return-to-work formula with worker’s unions by the end of Saturday and forward a report on the same.

Hundreds of the lecturers and other workers had confronted the committee, demanding the removal of the management. But during the crisis meeting, VC Isaac Kosgey blamed the state of the university on huge pending bills.

“Once we are able to pay off some of the bills, we will start to operate normally,” he said.

Kosgey had two days ago announced the reopening of the university, with lessons expected to resume on Monday, but all the workers have vowed not to resume work unless they are paid all their dues.

“We are here to understand the actual situation and look into ways we can help to have the university resume normalcy,” Melly said.

He had addressed the workers briefly before heading to the crisis meeting with representatives from worker’s unions UASU and KUSU along with the university management.

Efforts to resolve the months-long strike by the workers have hit a snag as they demand to be paid all their dues amounting to over Sh10 billion. The money includes Sh5 billion for the workers’ pension scheme and another Sh1.2 billion for bank loans.

UASU branch secretary Ojuki Nyabuta said they were not part of the plan to reopen the university because they had not been paid their dues. “We will not go back to class unless all our dues are paid.

The management can reopen the university and do what they want, but we are not part of that,” Ojuki said. Some students have already reported back to the college amid uncertainty over the university’s operations.

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