The Universities’ Academic Staff Union (UASU) has issued a seven-day strike notice for lecturers at Moi University, citing prolonged salary delays and failure by the institution’s management to honour signed agreements.
In a statement released on Wednesday, UASU said the strike will commence on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, if the university does not clear the delayed June and July 2025 salaries at the agreed 2021–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) rates.
The union is also demanding full implementation of the Return-To-Work Formula signed between UASU and the Moi University Council on November 30, 2024. The agreement included clauses on salary reviews, staff promotions, and retirement age adjustments under the 2021–2025 National CBA.
“The university should also honour the clauses on review and promotion of staff and retirement age in the negotiated 2021–2025 National Collective Bargaining Agreement,” reads the strike notice signed by UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga.
Wasonga emphasized that the industrial action would continue indefinitely until all demands are met, adding that the university must respect workers’ rights under Article 41 and Chapter 4 of the Constitution of Kenya. The notice has been copied to the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Professor Julius Ogamba, and other relevant stakeholders.
Moi University, which employs over 1,000 lecturers, has enjoyed relative stability since the appointment of acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Kiplagat Kotut. However, it has been grappling with severe financial challenges, leading to the recent announcement of a redundancy plan that could see over 2,000 workers laid off.
UASU’s Moi University Chapter Chairperson, Ojuki Nyabuta, said the decision to call for a strike followed repeated but unsuccessful attempts to have the university management honour its commitments.
“We have been patient with the university management, but they have taken us for granted by failing to honour signed CBA deals. That’s why we have resorted to the strike decision so that our plea is heard,” Nyabuta stated.
If the strike proceeds as planned, it could disrupt academic programs and further strain the university’s already fragile financial and operational stability.
