By Mercy Chelangat
Lecturers at Moi University have demanded an explanation over the whereabouts of over Ksh 500 million that was released to the institution by the National Treasury.
The over 900 lecturers who begun their strike on Tuesday, August 20, 2025, said the money was to be used to clear their salary arrears but to date, the university council is yet to pay them.
This is despite the Cabinet Secretary for Education Julius Ogamba confirming that the funds were released in January 2025.
“We are asking a very simple question: where did the Sh500 million go?” asked UASU Moi Chapter Secretary Dr. Busolo Wekesa.
According to Dr Wekesa, in a return-to-work agreement signed in November 2024, the funds were to be used to pay part of the salary arrears.
However, the lecturers believe the Moi University Council diverted the funds in a clear disregard of the agreement brokered by the Ministry of Education.
They have now vowed to continue with their strike until their demands are fully met.
“We are not demanding a pay rise, but what was agreed,” the UASU officials said during a media briefing in Eldoret.
The lecturers claim the university has failed to remit over Ksh 4.6 billion in pension contributions.
In addition, they lamented that they have been unable to access health cover for three months now as the university has not remitted contributions to the Social Health Authority (SHA).
What did Moi University commit during a 2024 deal with lecturers?
The November 2024 return-to-work agreement, signed in the presence of Higher Education Principal Secretary Dr. Beatrice Inyangala, comprised Ksh 2.6 billion in cash and land holdings in Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kitale, to be used to invest in the university pension scheme.
The transaction also specified structured payments up to 2028, including LSK 1.25 billion in 2025/2026, Ksh 3.3 billion in 2026/2027, and a final payment of Ksh 1.75 billion in 2027/2028.
Other inclusions were a provision for staff welfare, group life cover, loan repayment, and union fees.
A meeting between the Moi University management and union representatives is set for Friday as efforts continue to find a solution.
