Moi University cannot retrench its way out of crisis

Moi University in Eldoret.[File, Standard]

Moi University is facing a crisis that demands more than hurried cost-cutting. Years of financial difficulties, leadership instability, political interference and persistent questions about the management of institutional resources have pushed one of Kenya’s most important universities into dangerous territory.

The latest reports of plans to send home more than 75 professors and over 200 non-teaching staff therefore raise serious questions about the direction of the institution.

Retrenchment may reduce the wage bill, but it cannot be the primary solution to a crisis whose causes are much deeper. A professor is not merely a salary on a spreadsheet. Professors supervise postgraduate students, teach, conduct research, attract grants, mentor younger academics and preserve institutional memory. Losing dozens at once could severely disrupt teaching, research and postgraduate programmes, particularly when students have just resumed their studies.

There is also a need for transparency about the circumstances that brought the university here.

For years, concerns have been raised about political interference in university leadership and allegations of poor management of institutional resources. Such allegations deserve independent scrutiny. If resources have been lost through mismanagement, accountability should not begin and end with ordinary employees being declared redundant.

Moi University has previously pursued ambitious income-generating ventures that were presented as potential financial lifelines. The apple-farming project, for example, was accompanied by expectations of impressive returns within a relatively short period. Yet questions remain about its implementation, procurement and financial returns. The same principle applies to other major projects associated with the institution over the years. Public resources require public accountability.

The university's vast landholding is another potentially valuable asset. Properly managed, it could generate revenue while supporting research and agricultural training. But leasing and farming arrangements involving public university land must be transparent, commercially sound and demonstrably beneficial to the institution. The public deserves to know what such assets generate and how the proceeds are utilised.

The proposed retrenchment also comes at a politically sensitive moment. With elections approaching, restructuring of a major public institution must be demonstrably objective to dispel concerns that positions created through departures could later become opportunities for political patronage. Such fears should not be presented as facts without evidence. Transparency is the best antidote to suspicion.

Moi University's rescue should therefore begin with a comprehensive and independent audit of its finances, projects, procurement, assets, management structures and revenue streams.

If there is genuine overstaffing, let credible evidence establish where it exists. If programmes are unsustainable, let them be reviewed. If management structures are bloated, let them be rationalised. And if public resources have been mismanaged, those responsible should face appropriate accountability.

Kenya must also rethink the wisdom of continually expanding the number of universities while established institutions struggle for students and funding. Moi University already possesses infrastructure, academic expertise and decades of institutional experience. Giving established universities adequate student populations and sustainable funding could be more sensible than allowing them to deteriorate while creating new institutions.

Moi University does not need cosmetic surgery.

It needs honest diagnosis, accountable leadership, financial discipline and political restraint.

Sending professors home may shrink the payroll, but it will not necessarily fix the problem. The real question is whether Kenya is prepared to fix the system that created the crisis in the first place.