At least 40 lecturers of Moi University have resigned in three months to seek greener pastures due to poor pay and mismanagement of the institution.
University Academic Staff Union secretary at Moi University Jack Abok said the lecturers are mostly from the schools of Law, Health Science, Business and Economics.
He and Kalenjin elders led by Major John Seii have urged the government to intervene and quickly resolve the row on the appointment of a new VC for the institution. “We have had serious problems at the university, mainly due to mismanagement, which has discouraged many employees, including lecturers,” Abok told the Star on the phone on Saturday.
He wants Education CS Fred Matiang’i to order an audit of operations at the university as the first step to finding out its problems. “More lecturers are planning to resign to work outside the country or other universities locally. At Moi, the morale among all staff is very low,” Abok said.
He said they have asked CS Matiang’i to visit the university and discuss the problems with staff and other stakeholders.
The university, Abok said, faces serious financial problems. “Unless the issue of promotions and salaries of the lecturers is addressed, the university will continue to witness massive resignation of the teaching staff and this will compromise the quality of education in the long-run,” he warned.
Meanwhile, Governor Alex Tolgos wants the government to speed up the process of appointing a new substantive VC at Moi University.
He said the appointment would ease tension and allow normal operations to resume at the college.
Tolgos spoke in Iten town yesterday, after returning from Nairobi, where he and his Uasin Gishu counterpart Jackson Mandago recorded statements at the DCI over the remarks they made against the appointment of Moi University acting VC Laban Ayiro .
Tolgos said the issue should not be misinterpreted to mean they are undermining the Jubilee administration.
“We are in Jubilee to stay and no one should use the Moi University dispute to claim we are quitting the party,” he said.
Tolgos, however, said their demands for the appointment of a new VC be based on merit are “not negotiable”.
He said leaders from the region are not tribal and what they want is a qualified individual to head the university
“What we want is for the matter to be hastened so that we can get a VC for the university as soon as possible,” Tolgos said.
He said tribalism is not good for the country and Matiang’i “should not take advantage of his position to sideline qualified Kenyans from leading top universities”.
Mandago, Tolgos and some area leaders want Prof Isaac Kosgey named as VC. They claimed he excelled during recruitment interviews held three months ago.