Uasu Egerton chapter urges Ruto to end Njoro campus cash woes
University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) Egerton Chapter secretary Dr Grace Kibue (right) and chapter chairperson Prof Ngare Kariuki address journalists at Nakuru Athletics Club in Nakuru City on Wednesday, September 7, 2022
The Egerton chapter of the University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) has appealed to President-elect William Ruto to intervene and help end the financial crisis at the Njoro campus.
Uasu members met at the Nakuru Athletics Club on Wednesday and passionately appealed to the incoming government to sort out their financial problems.
They expressed hope that the new government will tackle the “problems bedevilling institutions of higher education as he had promised”.
"Egerton University dons have endless disputes with their employer that have resulted in a series of court litigations due to withheld salaries and contempt of court and we appeal to the new government to step in and help end the financial crisis," said Dr Grace Kibue, the Uasu chapter secretary.
She added that the dispute with the university had “caused untold suffering to Uasu members” with some of them “blacklisted by credit facilities, hospitals and other creditors".
The union said some members had been evicted by landlords for failing to pay rent.
"Many of our members have seen their properties recovered by creditors for failure to pay their debts on time," Dr Kibue said.
She claimed Egerton has cut its pension contribution from members' salaries from 20 per cent to one per cent.
"If something is not done urgently, academic staff will be unable to render their services as they are increasingly finding it hard to commute to work as they have no money and services at Egerton may be brought to a halt as we're surviving by God's grace," she added.
Members of the University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) Egerton Chapter at Nakuru Athletics Club in Nakuru City on Wednesday, September 7, 2022. They held a Special Annual General Meeting to discuss their salary deduction by the university management.
Egerton Uasu chapter chairperson Prof Ngare Kariuki said union members could not persevere any longer.
"Union members can barely meet their basic necessities and are now asking for a bailout from the new government. Union members cannot pay school fees or feed their children and the situation is getting worse by the day," Prof Kariuki said.
The union members exuded confidence that the new government will listen to their pleas.
"The management and the council of Egerton University have refused to hold roundtable negotiations with the union to end the stalemate and instead trashed the return-to-work formula, and that is why the financial crisis at the institution has persisted," he said.
University administrators had failed to implement the return-to-work formula as ordered by the court, Dr Kibue said.
The court ordered the university to revert to full payment of salaries but the order was ignored.
"As a union, we have shown goodwill and we have tried to sacrifice for our dear students because we're responsible citizens and we care, but bad decisions by the university management and the council have led to the exodus of lecturers from the institution," Dr Kibue said.
She noted that the brain drain is worrying as it means loss of experienced lecturers and the erosion of institutional memory.
"A university that has a global standing might be relegated to an institution that may not be worth any reputation as the mass exodus of lecturers continues,” she said.
“The management and the council should initiate an honest discussion with the union to save the face of the university."
