Moi University is negotiating with its workers to resume work and agree on re-opening of the main campus within two weeks.
Vice chancellor Prof Isaac Kosgey is leading talks with the unions, including the Universities Academic Staff Union and KUDHEIHA so that they agree on a return-to-wok formula.
The strike by the workers caused the university to shut down the main campus a week ago.
“We cannot ignore the plight of our workers and that is why we are talking to them so that we agree on the way forward,” Kosgey said.
The lecturers and other university staff went on strike demanding implementation of a delayed CBA and failure by the university to remit more than Sh2 billion statutory deductions, among other grievances.
Chairman of the university council Dr Humphrey Njuguna said they will send home some of the more than 5,000 workers in a staff rationalisation programme caused by deep financial problems, including debts amounting to more than Sh5 billion.
The university is also considering increasing fees from the current Sh 16,000 yearly because the money cannot sustain students and its facilities are also in a dilapidated state.
Dr Njuguna said the crisis at the college was caused by a bloated workforce after the number of its students reduced from about 60,000 to less than 27,000 currently following closure of the parallel degree programmes three years ago.
He said the university had decided to take painful measures, including sacking of workers, closure of its campuses and outsourcing some of its services in cost cutting measures.
“We have to discus with parents and other stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education, because there are facts we cannot avoid, like the need to increase fees.”
Dr Njuguna said the collapse of the parallel degree programme and the closure of some campuses caused the university to lose Sh5 billion internal revenue yet the number of staff had remained the same.
“We therefore have to sack some of the employees and also implement other measures to help us make some revenue as we reform to revive the university operations,” Dr Njuguna said.
He was speaking at the main campus where he was accompanied by Professor Isaac Kosgey.
Dr Njuguna said the council unveiled a plan to save the university from collapse and revive all its operations through income generating activities to supplement dwindling government funding.
The university will use more than 1,000 acres of its land to produce apples on large scale in a venture that will generate more than sh 80 billion after the next four years.
“We have done due diligence and, through research involving the school of agriculture, we are sure we will succeed and revamp the university fully," he said.
He said the university had no money to implement a new CBA for the workers unless the government intervenes.
Professor Kosgey denied that the university had been ignoring the plight of its workers.
He said already they had started reducing the accumulated statutory deductions and obligations with financial institutions so that workers access support they need.
Prof Kosgey said the college had no backlogs in payments of salaries except wages for some casual workers. He instead asked them to be patient as their grievances were being addressed.
(edited by Amol Awuor)
