Court suspends issuance of redundancy letters to Moi University staff

The High Court in Eldoret has issued orders stopping Moi University from issuing redundancy letters to its employees following reports of overstaffing.

In a ruling delivered by Lady Justice Maureen Onyango on Thursday, the court ordered the suspension of the letters, pending the hearing and determination of a petition filed by the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU).

“Upon hearing the counsel for the applicant/claimant and the counsel for the respondent, it is hereby ordered that the letters of redundancy dated 13/5/2025 are hereby suspended pending hearing of this Application and the Application dated 28/4/2025,” read a part of the judgement.

The court said that both the applicant's and respondent's applications will be mentioned for further directions on May 28, 2025.

The University had issued redundancy letters to hundreds of employees due to what it said was overstaffing, resulting in financial constraints.

It noted that the influx of staff is after several of its campuses were given charters, forcing staff to return to the main campus.

In a notice to the staff, acting Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, Planning and Strategy Prof. Loice Maru noted that the move is due to financial challenges across all departments.

The notice read in part, "We regret to inform you that due to financial constraints currently facing the University, a decision has been made to implement a Right-Sizing Exercise, which we have carried out in compliance with Section 40 of the Employment Act, 2007 and the provisions of the applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement."

It further indicated that following a thorough review of the University's operational needs and financial sustainability, some positions have been affected by the redundancy process.

The University said the affected employees were entitled to receive all terminal benefits in line with the Employment Act, and the relevant CBA, including notice pay, or payment in lieu of notice, severance pay, accrued leave days, if any and any other dues as stipulated in terms of employment.

The staff were required to collect letters from designated areas between May 14 to May 16, 2025.

In response to the redundancies, UASU told affected members to share their employment history as it seeks to reverse the move.