Last week the university which is grappling with a Sh2.7 billion debt made major reorganisation scrapping 30 departments and transferring several lecturers.
The decision to reduce departments from 80 to 50 was made at a council meeting in what the management said was aimed at cutting costs.
Moi University has directed its 15 faculties and schools to discuss harmonisation of courses a week after it scrapped 30 departments.
On Wednesday several deans of schools held meetings with staff to work out programmes that will be scrapped amid protests from some lecturers that the exercise was being conducted “in fear, hurry and without consultations”.
During the meeting, staff were assured that the merger of courses and departments will not be reversed.
“These changes have caused anxiety and there is need to consult more before they are effected,” said a lecturer at the university adding that the changes will take tall on transition.
Last week the university which is grappling with a Sh2.7 billion debt made major reorganisation scrapping 30 departments and transferring several lecturers.
The decision to reduce departments from 80 to 50 was made at a council meeting in what the management said was aimed at cutting costs.
Vice Chancellor Prof Isaac Kosgey said the changes were aimed at bringing efficiency at the institutions.
“We are placing academic staff in the faculties where they are best qualified. These changes will be a game changer as it will ensure efficiency and cut costs,” said Prof Kosgey.
In March this year, the University relocate several students taking education programmes at its Nairobi Campus on Moi Avenue to its main campus in Eldoret.
The university also relocated its School of Agriculture and Natural resources to Kitale Campus.
The institution has been facing cash crisis in the wake of few students qualifying to join public universities.
Already University of Nairobi has scrapped more than 40 courses following recommendations by the government.
The Ministry of Education is already sitting on two reports that have recommended measures to rescue the university sector in the country.
Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha is also set to meet for the second time Vice-chancellors of public universities to brief them on merger plan.
Prof Magoha recently asked universities to address the imbalances in the ratio of faculty/technical staff to support staff.
Currently, the ratio is as high as 30:70 in some universities.
The CS also asked universities to rationalise staff to ease the payroll burden, in the face of reducing student enrolment and low capitation grants.
“We have proposed introduction of tenure tracks while also systematically easing off many noncore staff on contracts,” added Prof Magoha.
Vice-chancellors are opposed to plan to fire staff and instead want more lecturers hired by the institutions in order to increase lecture student ratio. Universities have 27,000 staff including 9,000 lecturers.
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