Having been closed indefinitely since October 3, 2024, Moi University is now scheduled to reopen to students after over 4,000 employees went on strike for a month over unpaid wages and concerns about the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
A detailed agenda of talks and meetings aimed at guaranteeing a seamless return to regular operations has now been made public by the university.
Consultative meetings with the university’s staff unions, the Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU) and the University Academic Staff Union (UASU), started on Saturday, November 2, 2024, and will run through Wednesday, November 6, 2024, according to the notice from Vice-Chancellor Prof. Isaac S. Kosgey.
The university will formally reopen on Thursday, November 7, 2024, following the meetings.
This series of engagements will involve high-level discussions between university management, union officials, and the university’s governing bodies.
The schedule outlines that on Saturday, November 2, and Monday, November 4, consultative meetings with UASU and KUSU took place.
On Tuesday, November 5, negotiation meetings with the unions will continue, with a final negotiation meeting and signing of the Return to Work Formula (RTWF) scheduled for Wednesday, November 6.
The re-opening of the University is scheduled for Thursday, November 7, followed by the students’ return on Friday, November 8.
The prolonged industrial action and resulting unrest among students led to the suspension of all academic activities at the institution, with students being instructed to vacate university premises.
The closure, which came after rising tensions due to the unpaid salaries and the institution’s struggle to honour the CBA, escalated into violent protests last month.
Students marched in the streets of the varsity, a move that left some hospitalized after a clash with riot police.
Union leaders and students had pleaded for intervention from President William Ruto to rescue the university from what they described as a crisis threatening its very survival.
In recent weeks, UASU and KUSU leaders had called off the strike, but many of the university’s workers remained resolute, insisting on their demands being met before they returned to work.
Their determination was evident when hundreds of workers marched to the Uasin Gishu County Assembly to present their grievances, vowing to continue their strike until a sustainable solution was found.
