Shock as 204 permanent and pensionable employees sacked by Kisii University a day after reopening

By John Ombega in Kisii County.

At least 204 employees of Kisii University on Tuesday, October 6 received letters indicating their employment contracts have been terminated by the institution of higher learning, K24 Digital has learnt.

The varsity’s Vice Chancellor, John Akama, said the institution had no choice but to retrench the workers after their revenues shrunk due to a reduction in the number of students enrolling for parallel programmes.

Akama further said that most of those affected are non-teaching staff. According to the VC, they had to retrench a significant number of the non-academic staff so that the university complies with the Ministry of Education’s guidelines, which stipulate that no public university should have a non-teaching staff population of more than 30 per cent of the total workforce.

Kisii University Staff Union (KUSU) treasurer, Moses Nyandusi, expressed disappointment at the mass sackings, saying the university “should have waited for the adverse effects of COVID-19 pandemic to subside before the layoffs are rolled out”.

Nyandusi said, as KUSU officials, they will engage the university administration in dialogue before opting for legal redress.

Zachary Mose, a KUSU trustee, alleged that the university’s expenditure is to blame for the drained coffers, and that an investigation is needed to unravel how the monies were spent.