Moi University Lecturers Demand Ouster of Acting Management Over ‘Parasites’ Remark, Staff Exodus

By wasike Elvis 

The Universities’ Academic Staff Union (UASU) Moi University Chapter has demanded the immediate removal of the institution’s acting management team, accusing it of presiding over a hostile working environment, intimidating staff and making derogatory remarks against lecturers.

In a strongly worded press statement dated July 5, 2026, the union said it was taking exception to language allegedly used by Moi University Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof. Kiplagat Kotut   and members of the acting management during an engagement with the Education Committee of Parliament.

The union said lecturers were allegedly referred to as “parasites,” a description it termed disrespectful, unfortunate and unacceptable, particularly because academic staff are central to teaching, examining students and implementing university programmes.

UASU Moi University Chapter Prof. Robert Oduori said the remarks had angered members of the academic fraternity, arguing that no university can function without lecturers and students.

“An academic institution is defined by two key groups: lecturers and students,” the union said in its statement. “You cannot talk of increasing student numbers and at the same time refer to those who implement the curriculum as parasites. Parasiting on who? And how?”

The statement was signed by Chapter Secretary Prof. Robert Oduori and supported by the Chapter Treasurer Dr. Jane Michaela, who said the union would not remain silent as academic staff continue to face what they described as demoralising working conditions.

According to the union, the acting management team has created one of the most toxic work environments ever experienced at Moi University, with threats, intimidation and fear allegedly becoming common among staff.

The union claimed that heads of departments and deans had been intimidated, while many lecturers had become increasingly demoralised due to uncertainty, delayed payments and what it termed a breakdown in proper institutional leadership.

Prof. Oduori said the union was particularly concerned about the continued reliance on acting officials, arguing that some managers had allegedly remained in office beyond the legally required period.

The chapter secretary questioned why substantive office holders were allegedly sitting at home while acting managers continued to run the university.

“With two sets of managers, substantive managers sitting at home and an acting management acting beyond the required period, who is the other?” the union posed.

Dr. Jane Michael, the chapter treasurer, also raised concerns over staffing shortages in key academic departments, warning that the situation could compromise the quality of education offered to students.

The union cited the Department of Pathology, which it said has only two lecturers handling three broad academic areas, despite the heavy teaching and examination workload.

The statement further alleged that some academic departments had been declared redundant despite continuing to offer programmes and teach students, raising questions over the university’s staffing decisions.

UASU said lecturers and staff in general were also demanding payment of outstanding dues, including basic salary arrears, pension, bank loan settlements and other financial benefits.

The union noted that money had reportedly been allocated to Moi University under the 2025/2026 budget, but claimed that staff were yet to receive the expected payments.

The union also linked the current crisis to longstanding governance and management concerns at the university, noting that the Education Committee of Parliament had previously visited Moi University in 2024 and acknowledged that many of the institution’s challenges were managerial and governance-related.

However, UASU said the situation had not improved and instead had worsened, with the union claiming that more than 40 senior academic staff members had resigned in the past year.

The lecturers’ union said the resignations were not due to retirement but were allegedly driven by low morale, poor working conditions and frustrations with the leadership structure at the institution.

The union has now appealed to Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba to urgently intervene and address the escalating crisis at Moi University.

Among its key demands, UASU wants the government to direct the immediate settlement of the 2025/2026 Collective Bargaining Agreement, recall the acting Moi University management team and appoint substantive office holders.

The union said appointing substantive managers was necessary to restore confidence, promote industrial harmony and ensure the institution is run in accordance with the law.

“Every time we have acting managers who have no interest of the institution at heart, management begins to court negative publicity,” the statement said.

During a parliamentary session, Moi University Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof. Kiplagat Kotut stated, "We realized some people have actually not been teaching... They have been here doing nothing, parasiting on others". This came as the institution plans further mass layoffs to address its mounting financial debts.