Egerton University has started sending redundancy letters in a plan that will see more than 400 employees sent home.
In a report by the university, the institution has proposed to retrench the staff to ease the payroll burden.
In a decision that has already been approved by the university council, Egerton University says this will reduce the payroll cost by Sh38.7 million per month and Sh464.4 million per year.
The vice chancellor Prof Rose Mwoya said last month that the university has requested the government to consider providing Sh589.7 million to finance the exercise.
“From January 2021, we expect that we will be able to start paying outstanding salaries accruing since April 2020, starting with those who are retiring or leaving services for whatever reason,” Ms Mwoya said.
Egerton’s Academic Staff Union Secretary General Constantine Wasonga has written to the university demanding the payment of academic staff salaries as indicated in the 2017-2021 collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
According to Dr Wasonga, the University’s report neither presents a credible strategy to move the university out of its current financial predicaments nor a useful proposal to pay the balance of unpaid staff salaries.
“The report does not explain why the fee collection is declining and there is no data or evidence given to support this,” he said.
According to the report, the university has no source of funding except from students who are now out of session due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
The report shows that regular students pay only Sh16,000 per year in tuition fees.
“The report does not explain why the fee collection is declining and there is no data or evidence given to support this. The university should offer credible workable acceptable and creative proposals to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, no academic jobs should be lost, “ Dr Wasonga dismissed the argument that the pandemic has crippled Egerton University.
