Moi University has been closed indefinitely following a prolonged strike by lecturers and other workers over delayed salaries and implementation of CBA agreements.
The more than 4,000 workers have been on strike for almost a month.
Vice Chancellor Professor Isaac Kosgey said in a notice that the university senate had resolved to suspend all learning and teaching activities of the 1st semester for 2024/25 as a consequence of the industrial action and student unrest.
“All students at all campuses should thus vacate the university premises with immediate effect,” said the VC.
All international students were advised to liaise with the dean of students for further directions.
The VC said reopening dates would be communicated later.
“The university council and management are working to ensure that university operations resume as soon as possible,” said the VC.
Professor Kosgey thanked students for maintaining calm during the period when learning activities were disrupted
On Wednesday the Moi University workers matched through the streets of Eldoret to the Uasin Gishu County assembly where they presented a petition to speaker Phillip Muigei and MCAs.
They vowed to remain on strike despite UASU and KUSU union officials calling off the boycott last week.
UASU branch deputy Secretary Nyabuta Ojuki said none of their demands had been met despite the unions calling off the strike last week after signing a return to work formula with Vice-chancellors.
“We are still on strike which started a month ago because even after the management agreed to implement our demands they are yet to do anything,” said Ojuki.
Ojuki said the university pension scheme had collapsed due to the non-remittance of more than Sh 5.5 billion deducted from their salaries by the university management.
The university has also failed to remit more than Sh1.2 Billion deducted from bank loans for some of the employees.
Speaker Muigei said he had received the petition from the workers and would do whatever to deal with the issues and escalate others to the national government.
“As an assembly, we may not have the capacity to deal with all the issues you have raised but we will try where possible and escalate what we can’t to the national government,” said Muigei.
He said they would take up the matter because the workers were residents of Uasin Gishu, taxpayers in the county and also voters in the region.
“The university is also located within our county and we thank the workers that they have recognized the assembly as an institution that can help in dealing with challenges they have,” said Muigei.
UASU chapter secretary Wekesa Busolo asked President William Ruto to intervene in the challenges facing the university before it collapses.
He said there was a need for the appointing authority to act on the management of the university where all operations had been paralyzed for over two months without any action.
Busolo said the university was keeping students at the main campus and other colleges yet no learning was going on.
UASU branch secretary Mary Chepkwemoi said they would carry out protests to Nairobi because their pleas and protests in Eldoret had been ignored.
