A pitiful situation, broken hopes, screams and the horror of dreams that never see the light of day summarize the story of Moi, Kenya’s second oldest university.

Even as workers signed the return to work formula yesterday, agreement not yet reached Eliminate problems that have plagued the organization for nearly eight years.

Fascinatingly, Moi University, located on the outskirts of Eldoret City, was named in honor of Kenya’s second President, Daniel Moi, a huge figure in the country’s political history.

Even its vast lush grounds and architectural masterpieces have been overshadowed by problems that have defied all efforts to turn around the institution that was once the dream university of many KCSE aspirants.

With debts exceeding Sh8.6 billion and frosty relations between management and staff, Moi University looks like a pale reckoning of its former self.

The students and the neighboring community in Kesses, Uasin Gishu Count, are also not on good terms with an institution they hold dear.

Those close to the university’s administration and the conduct of its affairs paint a bleak picture of the institution, which they say has been in disarray for seven years.

According to Obusolo Wekesa, Divisional Secretary of the Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu), the three-month strike was triggered by unresolved issues, including unpaid pension for the last seven years, unpaid collective bargaining agreement arrears for 2017-2021 and unpaid loans. Blackouts for 50 months.

But rain started affecting Moi University almost a decade ago. Lecturers say that even Prof Laban Ayiro (the current Vice-Chancellor of Day Star University) had a hard time as the VC of the institution for a year between 2016 and 2017.

Wekesa and some staff who have worked at the institution for years say the government has turned a deaf ear to many questions, including the appointment of the university’s leadership.

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He says the current Vice-Chancellor Prof Kosgey’s efforts were in vain but observes that he (Prof Kosgey) should hold himself responsible for the troubles the institution is facing.

Don says some of the problems that have crippled Moi University have also affected other institutions, but the university has been unable to find ways out of its financial difficulties.

Wekesa explains that part of Moi University’s problem is the opening of too many campuses; This is a movement driven by the need to expand access to higher education.

“It was a smart move in the beginning, but the initiatives were later killed by selfish interests. “Council members and the administration started competing with each other, and each wanted a university campus in their neighborhood,” says the faculty member.

He continues: “For example, Odera Akang’o Moi University Campus was established next to Maseno University in Yala and was absorbed by Maseno University.”

According to the lecturers’ representative, the Odera Akang’o campus was established to honor former chancellor Prof Bethwel Okoth.

“As a way to please its rector, Moi University purchased the land and decided to run it as a privately sponsored institution. It was unable to produce the resources the university had allocated to it.”

Other campuses included the West Campus in Mombasa and Eldoret. Some of the satellites, such as Karatina, became full-fledged universities.

forensic audit

“Those who built the campuses did not have good intentions. They founded them for selfish reasons. “Some people benefited from this and when there is a forensic audit, you will know how and to what extent they benefited,” he claims.

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Apart from the campuses, Moi University also invested heavily in textile company Rivatex East Africa, a loss-making firm that was revived in 2018.

University staff describe Rivatex as a dark cloud and one of many investments that gobble up millions but provide little or no return.

“It was a dark cloud. It is surprising that someone pumped Sh5 billion to set up facilities in a class of about 60 students. “We have programs with over 1,000 students but we have not set up facilities for them.

“How we can buy Rivatex at Sh5 billion to educate 60 students is one of the most ridiculous things. How did Moi University invest in a company that was already dead?” Wekesa asks.

Auditor General Nancy Gathungu found in her latest report that Rivatex had made cumulative losses of Sh3 billion by 2023. While the statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income reflects a net loss of Sh347,592,549, the statement of financial position reflects the accumulated loss balance is Sh3,041,471,831 as at June 30, 2023, the auditor general report said.

The report also states: “Rivatex management attributes the poor performance to persistent shortages of raw materials such as cotton, the high cost of inputs such as labour, electricity and water, fuel, spare parts and consumables, and repairs and maintenance that hinder business.” The company’s ability to produce and supply its products on time.”

The old Direct Unit Cost (DUC) financing model enabled universities to obtain funding easily.

According to the model, the student would pay a small amount, while the state would pay a larger amount depending on the course.

“Vice-Chancellors created problems when universities took money from parallel undergraduate programs and told the government that they could fund various programmes, and that is when the government gradually reduced the money allocated to higher education institutions. While parallel degree programs still existed, vice-chancellors were relaxed and never put pressure on the government for money.

“After the government discovered that universities could make money from the programmes, it began to reduce the per capita fee from 80 percent to 40 percent. Cash per person stopped coming regularly. Vice-rectors were investing parallel degree money in meaningless projects and were forced to employ more staff than necessary for unclear reasons.

Dr Richard Okero, head of department at Uasu Moi University, laments the decision of the institution’s management to hire key decision makers in a deputation capacity.

“Human resources are in a terrible state, they are managed by an unprofessional person. The university has not been hiring for many years, but payroll is not decreasing. “People retire every year, but the payroll is the same,” complains Dr. Okero.

He adds: “The finance department is the engine of an institution but it lacks a solid head. Former Vice-Chancellor of finance, Prof Daniel Tarus, served at Rongo University for seven years before leaving to take up essentially the same role. University staff woke up one day to become vice-chancellor for finance.” They saw that his position was canceled and moved to the vice-chancellor’s office, the finance chief did not play a significant role for many years.

“The chief accounting officer and the payroll officer have been acting as deputies for many years. The decision-making bodies at Moi University were wrong. Many department heads serve in an acting capacity.”

He says the Moi University administration is designed to give a single person the power to crush many decisions, and the Senate is programmed to approve those decisions.

“If the Senate were independent, it would not be calling students back to university while the workers’ strike continues. “When the management of Moi University changes, the entire staff will be ready to work closely with a new team to change the course of the institution,” he says.

Workers claim that the university was already in trouble when Prof Kosgey arrived.

“The current vice chancellor has refused to meet with staff. As unions, we made efforts to meet him but he refused to meet his employees after seven years,” says Okero.

Mary Chepkwemoi, acting branch secretary of the Kenya Universities Staff Association, claims: “Over the last seven years, we gave Prof Kosgey time to formulate a strategy to turn Moi University around and granted him the request. “He sought more time during the Covid-19 pandemic and we understood.”

According to Chepkwemoi, the situation at the university worsened and workers were given 23 percent salary after the Covid-19 outbreak.

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“Moi University staff are in the intensive care unit. We fought to be revived and taken to the wards. “Many workers who received repayment loans were blacklisted by banks and had their assets, including their cars, seized,” he says.

Moi University, through its council, says the challenges facing the institution cannot be overcome in a short time.

The university says the revival of Rivatex, which is currently loss-making, is supported by the government.

He admitted that he had been making enough money to run his operations for about a decade.

“The university was also instrumental in restarting the cotton industry in the western part of the country with the acquisition of Rivatex in 2006, initially as a research and training facility for the Textile Engineering programme. The subsequent shift to production provided a much-needed market for cotton farmers in the Rift Valley and the Western region of this country,” the council said in a statement signed by council president Humphrey Kimani.

The council added: “The university has also witnessed a significant decline in student enrollment in undergraduate programmes, which make up the bulk of its revenue base. These programs are either government-funded or privately sponsored. For the 2024/2025 academic year, for example, it has reached a declared capacity of more than 14,000 students.” and approximately 6,000 first-year students were placed at the institution, compared to more than 47,000 applicants to the university’s undergraduate programs.”