Court Saves Over 800 Moi University Staff From Losing Their Jobs
Lady Justice Maureen Onyango ruled that the letters be put on hold until the court hears and decides on a petition filed by the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU).
Marvin Chege 
The High Court in Eldoret has blocked Moi University from sending out redundancy letters to staff after claims of overstaffing surfaced.
On Thursday, May 15, Lady Justice Maureen Onyango ruled that the letters be put on hold until the court hears and decides on 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.
Photo of the Eldoret Law Courts. /FACEBOOK
The ruling comes after UASU filed a new petition in court to stop the planned mass layoff of over 800 employees at the institution of higher learning.
Speaking to the media shortly after submitting the petition, Jeremiah Ojuki, UASU Secretary at Moi University, accused the administration of ignoring an earlier court order that required both parties to hold discussions and report back by May 28.
Ojuki slammed the university for acting in bad faith, saying the union turned to the Employment and Labour Relations Court to halt the dismissals.
He added that while UASU supports efforts to restructure the university, it firmly rejected the downsizing of staff without following the court’s earlier instructions.
"They just decided to issue letters of redundancy to the staff, which you can guess is outside the law. The court gave its direction, but the employer went ahead and acted in disregard of this directive," Ojuki said.
The over 800 workers targeted for dismissal included staff from the academic, administrative, and subordinate departments. Expressing their frustration, the affected employees accused the university of blindsiding them with redundancy letters, even though talks were still underway as directed by the court.
"They were telling that that we are in talks to address the matter, yet they had already begun to process the redundancy letters. We were given the letters yesterday evening, so we are shocked because our employer does not follow the law," said one of the affected people.
News of the looming redundancies went viral nationwide following a memo circulated on Wednesday, May 14, which told employees of the formerly renowned institution of their upcoming termination and instructed to collect official letters confirming their layoffs.
"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," the memo read in part.
"Following a thorough review of the University's operational needs and financial sustainability, your position has been identified as one of those affected by the redundancy process."
The university administration informed staff that the 'right-sizing exercise' had been finalised following comprehensive consultations with key stakeholders.
In a memo signed by Acting Vice Chancellor Prof. Kiplagat Kotut, employees were directed to collect either their retention or redundancy letters from their respective departments between Wednesday and Friday of this week.
Staff affected by the redundancy were to be released from their duties following a 30-day notice period. They would be entitled to benefits including notice pay, severance pay (where applicable), compensation for accrued leave days, and any other entitlements outlined in their employment contracts.
A gate leading to Moi University. /MOI UNIVERSITY
