Egerton University Staff Tension as redundancy verdict draws near
Staff members at Egerton University are experiencing a high level of concern and unease as the university management has issued a notice of a meeting to inform them of the imminent staff redundancies.
The Senior Assistant Registrar of the Human Capital and Administration Department at Egerton University, Maureen Ngala, sent out the notice, which stated that the meeting is scheduled for February 28, 2023.
This comes after another notice that was dated December 21, 2022, which stated that the decision to make staff redundant was based on the advice of the University Council.
The university is currently in the midst of its worst financial crisis, struggling to pay its massive wage bill of over KES 200 million while also clearing its mounting debt of KES 9 billion.
Moreover, the university’s staff has shrunk by around 100 people per year due to natural attrition, retirement, and resignation.
In the notice, the deputy Vice Chancellor, Richard Mulwa, stated that the University Council has declared staff redundancies across all staff cadres due to the challenges that the university has faced in meeting the full requirements for staff salaries and other emoluments and benefits.
This has caused a significant amount of anxiety among the staff members of Egerton University.
The impending job cuts come several months after four University Council members were sentenced to six months in prison for contempt of court in a case involving Prof Rose Mwonya’s reinstatement as Vice Chancellor.
The University Academic Staff Union (UASU) Egerton Chapter condemned the planned job cuts as “ill-timed, illogical, and irrational,” vowing to fight them.
According to the union, the university should instead look into alternative ways of generating revenue and cutting costs.
The meeting is scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. in the Njoro Campus Auditorium, and all staff members are required to attend. This announcement has left the staff at Egerton University feeling uncertain and distressed about their future employment.
The situation calls for the university’s management to take a proactive approach in finding alternative ways to address its financial challenges without affecting the livelihoods of its employees.
Egerton University Staff Tension as redundancy verdict draws near