Moi University dons threaten strike over delayed salaries
Broke lecturers have threatened to boycott classes over delayed salaries.
Should they make real the threat, the affected institutions will include Moi University, and the University of Kabianga, among others.
The dons have complained they have not been able to settle rent and meet daily obligations due to the delayed salaries.
“Failure to remit salaries by 16th March (tomorrow), the staff will resolve not to commute to their place of work,” reads a notice by Moi University UASU chapter secretary Busolo Wegesa dated March 15, 2023.
He added that “going forward payment of salaries should be done by 3rd of every month, failure to which we will not render any service until payment has been made.”
In a memo to its staff dated March 10, 2023, the university’s acting deputy vice chancellor in charge of administration and planning prof Ambrose Kiprop said the institution had not received it’s capitation from the national treasury to sort out salaries for its staff and requested for calm and patience as they await capitation.
When reached for comment Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) deputy secretary general Jacob Musembi said the union will call a crisis meeting to give direction to its memberS following the delayed capitation in the public universities.
The union official accused the government of failing to release salaries on time, and warned it will paralyse learning in the institutions of higher learning should the trend continue.
“Imagine a professor who is supposed to supervise exams yet he has not been paid to enable him to commute from home to place of work. This is really embarrassing,” said the Union official.
Dr Musembi said that despite writing a protest letter to the Ministry of Education, there was no response from the by Wednesday evening.
“No single public university has received capitation meant to pay for lecturers’ salaries. We believe they might be done by design to underfund the public universities.
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