Nandi Senator Samson Cherarkey has raised concerns about the indefinite closure of Moi University.
The university’s senate took the decision early this month due to a prolonged industrial strike by workers over alleged mismanagement of the university.
While requesting for a statement from Standing Committee on Education on the floor of the House on October 24, 2024, the Legislator requested the Committee to report to the House on the current financial status of Moi University and provide reasons for the delayed payment of salaries and failure by the university to remit third party deductions of more than Kshs 4.1 billion.
Senator Cherarkey further asked the Senator Joe Nyutu-led Committee to state the amount of money received by the university from the Government in the 2024/2025 financial year and indicate the student enrolment at the university, particularly under the new university funding framework.
“The investigating this issue, the Education Committee must provide a list of all assets, including commercial properties, land, and estates, owned and managed by the university and indicate the market value of each asset,” Senator Cherarkey said.
He also tasked the Members of the Committee to disclose all liabilities of the university by providing details of the sale agreement for the purchase of Rivatex East Africa Limited which is alleged to have been financed by a Kshs 3 billion loan.
In addition, the Nandi Senator tasked the Committee state reasons for the delayed resolution of the industrial strike by workers of the university, explaining how the Government plans to address the situation and providing timelines for the reopening of the university.
Will Moi University students be compensated?
The Education Committee will conduct investigations on the matter and report to the House whether students will be compensated for reporting to school as scheduled and incurring costs, yet no learning has occurred.
Senator Cherarkey also requested another Statement from the Standing Committee on Information, Communication, and Technology regarding the status of digitization of Government services.
The Legislator tasked the Senator Allan Chesang-led Committee to outline the standards used to assess the readiness of Government services for digitization and the criteria used to prioritize the services to be digitized.
The Members of the ICT Committee will subsequently inquire about the issue and report to the house on the status of digitization of Government services for enhanced transparency, efficiency and accessibility.
Teaching and non-teaching staff at Moi University have been on strike for over two months now.
The strike has since disrupted learning in all its campuses – the main campus in Kesses, Annex campus in Eldoret, Nairobi and Mombasa.
