University Academic Staff Union (UASU) and Kenya university staff union (KUSU) Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) chapter are up in arms against the sitting vice chancellor Prof. Fred Otieno and want him to proceed on terminal leave pending completion of his five-year term.
The two unions have for the past one week demonstrated outside the university calling on him to immediately leave office after his tenure expired at the end of August 2018.
According to the unionists, Otieno is unfit to get a second term after failing to account to financial queries raised by the auditor general. KUSU chair Meshack Onzere said they are contemplating inviting the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to investigate financial impropriety at the institution saying the anti-graft body has failed to perform its duty.
According to him, the university lost Kshs 18 million as legal award after the embattled VC cancelled a contract to erect a building at the institution.
The UASU secretary general Robinson Oduma added that the VC has also been sanctioning the university to pay Kshs 55,000 at his Mumias home besides the Kshs 85,000 house allowance in his pay-slip, labeling him as unfit to hold a public office .
The unionists have so far written to the university’s council and the Ministry of Education requesting that the VC should not be given another chance to head the university.
They presented the same petition to the regional county education officer Nerrea Olick requesting that action be taken against the leader.
Earlier this year, the embattled VC was probed by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for alleged misappropriation of funds and abuse of office as labelled against him by the unions.
EACC has for a while piled pressure on the university council to suspend Prof. Otieno, claiming he was interfering with their investigations without success. The anti-graft agency accused the VC for intimidating the staff through demotions, transfers, dismissals and interdictions.
Allegations that the VC has refuted claiming that it is witch-hunt from the corrupt staff that he has laid off from the institution.
“Over the past one year,or so, I have been falsely accused of crimes I have never and can never do. This is pure witch-hunt,” he said.
“I wish to reiterate that I am totally innocent. I am not corruptible. Cartels that I broke up when I took over in December 2013 are fighting back,” Otieno explained.
According to Prof. Otieno, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) investigated the matter and was satisfied that no money was lost. “I can authoritatively say without any fear of contradiction that I am a person of unquestionable integrity. Those allegations being brought out every now and then were investigated by EACC and I was exonerated. Let the unions say which contract was revoked,” said the MMUST VC.
Student leaders led by the Masinde Muliro University Students Organization (MMUSO) led by their chair Clifton Kisera have rallied behind the VC asking the unionists to stop baseless fights against the professor.
They have labelled the union’s fights as politically driven saying that the VC has been at the fore front fighting corruption and his performance at the institute can be compared to none.
Kisera and his team, has warned the unionists to stop interfering with the learning explaining that they have lost lots of time during the last strike and need to focus for now.
University Academic Staff Union (UASU) and Kenya university staff union (KUSU) Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) chapter are up in arms against the sitting vice chancellor Prof. Fred Otieno and want him to proceed on terminal leave pending completion of his five-year term.
The two unions have for the past one week demonstrated outside the university calling on him to immediately leave office after his tenure expired at the end of August 2018.
According to the unionists, Otieno is unfit to get a second term after failing to account to financial queries raised by the auditor general. KUSU chair Meshack Onzere said they are contemplating inviting the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to investigate financial impropriety at the institution saying the anti-graft body has failed to perform its duty.
According to him, the university lost Kshs 18 million as legal award after the embattled VC cancelled a contract to erect a building at the institution.
The UASU secretary general Robinson Oduma added that the VC has also been sanctioning the university to pay Kshs 55,000 at his Mumias home besides the Kshs 85,000 house allowance in his pay-slip, labeling him as unfit to hold a public office .
The unionists have so far written to the university’s council and the Ministry of Education requesting that the VC should not be given another chance to head the university.
They presented the same petition to the regional county education officer Nerrea Olick requesting that action be taken against the leader.
Earlier this year, the embattled VC was probed by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for alleged misappropriation of funds and abuse of office as labelled against him by the unions.
EACC has for a while piled pressure on the university council to suspend Prof. Otieno, claiming he was interfering with their investigations without success. The anti-graft agency accused the VC for intimidating the staff through demotions, transfers, dismissals and interdictions.
Allegations that the VC has refuted claiming that it is witch-hunt from the corrupt staff that he has laid off from the institution.
“Over the past one year,or so, I have been falsely accused of crimes I have never and can never do. This is pure witch-hunt,” he said.
“I wish to reiterate that I am totally innocent. I am not corruptible. Cartels that I broke up when I took over in December 2013 are fighting back,” Otieno explained.
According to Prof. Otieno, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) investigated the matter and was satisfied that no money was lost. “I can authoritatively say without any fear of contradiction that I am a person of unquestionable integrity. Those allegations being brought out every now and then were investigated by EACC and I was exonerated. Let the unions say which contract was revoked,” said the MMUST VC.
Student leaders led by the Masinde Muliro University Students Organization (MMUSO) led by their chair Clifton Kisera have rallied behind the VC asking the unionists to stop baseless fights against the professor.
They have labelled the union’s fights as politically driven saying that the VC has been at the fore front fighting corruption and his performance at the institute can be compared to none.
Kisera and his team, has warned the unionists to stop interfering with the learning explaining that they have lost lots of time during the last strike and need to focus for now.