Moi University staff have vowed not to allow the return of Prof Richard Mibey as Vice Chancellor of the institution a few weeks after he had proceeded for a terminal leave awaiting the official end of his ten-year tenure in September.
The University Academic Staff Union (UASU) Moi University Chapter stated that massive graft and misuse of public resources was perpetrated during the reign of Prof Mibey, an issue that made them to engage the University Council in a bid to redeem the institution.
"Moi University is on the verge of plunging deeper into a management crisis and needs urgent intervention from government and other stakeholders. We engaged the council over these issues and among its resolutions was to send Prof Mibey on terminal leave, but it has allowed him to return on unknown grounds," Jack Abok, the union's secretary general said.
According to Abok, learning facilities in the institution cannot sufficiently cater for the large number of students besides the neglect of lecturers' welfare.
The official added that the school of engineering and school of law were the most affected by the management's troubles at the institution, explaining that loss of funds was the epicenter of all the challenges.
"It is sad engineering students have to travel to Nairobi for practical classes while those in the Annex School of Law don't have a library and moot courts. Lecturer's welfare is in a pathetic state due to accumulated unpaid remittances to pension schemes, medical cover providers and creditors," he said.
An agitated Abok said most of the union's members have been blacklisted by financial institutions as loan defaulters with others getting into the Credit Bureau blacklist because the deductions made on their payslips by the university was not being debited to the creditors and insurance policy providers.
"Senior staff at Moi University owe the pension scheme provider more than Sh360 million and junior staffs' unpaid remittances are more than Sh500 million. This is insensitive because Privately Sponsored Students Programme who are the greatest income generators for the University bring between Sh2.5 and Sh3 billion for the university annually, where is this money taken?" he posed.
David Koskei, a committee member of UASU, said the union engaged the Ministry of Education and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in a bid to revive the institution but little has been done, adding that the return of Prof Mibey could be a ploy to destroy and conceal evidence of the irregularities that took place under his administration.
"We have been seeking for a long term solution since 2014 and the university council only took our concerns seriously after we moved to the Education Ministry to raise the same issues . During the end of last month a few resolutions concerning our meeting early that month were made and some senior employees including Prof Mibey were sent to compulsory leaves, the return of Prof Mibey who bid us welfare during a senate meeting is startling," said Koskei.
On May 31st the University Council suspended Finance Officer Milcah Mutwol and replaced her with George Aduda, Chief Accountant PSSP Joseph Tuwei replacing him with George Aduda, sent Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) Finance Prof David Tuigong and brought in Prof David Tarus besides sending Prof Mibey on terminal leave .
"It is petty to say Mibey has returned to marshal the establishment of the Bomet University campus when there was an able acting VC, the government needs to intervene. We presented EACC with a seven page document and believe they are working on it to unravel the thievery in this University," said Abok.
The union members have been on picketing mode from Monday this week and have vowed to continue until the VC goes home.
Mibey's return has raised confusion in management of the institution because Prof Fabian Esamai who is the Principal of the institution's School of Public Health had been appointed by the council to take over the VC's position in acting capacity.