The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has strongly condemned Moi University’s decision to declare 75 faculty members redundant, terming the move unlawful and a direct attack on the quality of education.
Addressing the press in Eldoret on Monday, August 24, 2026, UASU officials demanded the immediate withdrawal of the redundancy notice and the advertisement for part-time lecturers in the affected faculties. They warned that failure to comply would trigger industrial and legal action.
“We demand an unconditional withdrawal of the redundancy notice and immediate withdrawal of the advert for part-time lecturers in the affected faculties, failure to which we shall instruct our members not to cede any teaching materials, not to conduct any handover and institute industrial and legal action,” said UASU Moi University chapter secretary Prof Robert Oduori.
The officials argued that redundancy under Section 40 of the Employment Act must be based on lack of work, not replacing permanent staff with cheaper labour. They accused the university of double-speak, noting that positions declared redundant were simultaneously being advertised for part-time lecturers.
“You can’t claim there is no work when you’re advertising the same positions for part-time lecturers,” the union officials said.
How many casuals has Moi University employed?
UASU further revealed that lower cadre staff had already been sent home, only to be replaced by casual workers. According to the union, 20 casuals were recently employed to manage hostels, raising questions about the legitimacy of the redundancy exercise.
“As we speak, we are aware that in some offices they declared the lower cadre of staff redundant and all have been sent home, and as we speak there are three new faces. Twenty casuals were employed to take care of hostels, so how different are those sent home to the newly employed ones?” asked chapter chairperson David Kosgey.
The union warned that replacing experienced professors and senior lecturers with part-time staff would erode academic standards and undermine postgraduate training. “Sending home professors and senior lecturers is a mistake. It’s unfortunate for Moi University to touch the heartbreak of postgraduate faculty,” he added.
UASU has since called on the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Education, and the Federation of Kenya Employers to intervene and stop what they termed “the highest level of casualisation.” They also urged Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba to institute an independent audit, claiming discrepancies between the university’s records and those held by the union.
The union insists Moi University has fewer than 600 academic staff, contrary to the institution’s reported figure of more than 700, and a student population exceeding 20,000.
“Let a proper audit be done and report put on the table and we will discuss. Where did they get this number of 75 people to declare them redundant?” the officials posed.
