Approximately 120 lecturers at Moi University were granted a temporary reprieve from dismissal after the University Academic Staff Union (UASu) secured a High Court order suspending the redundancy process. The order, issued by Justice Maureen Onyango of the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Eldoret, directed the university to halt the dismissals pending the hearing and determination of a case filed by UASu under a certificate of urgency, as well as another application challenging the process. The lecturers are among about 900 employees who have received redundancy notices from the institution as part of cost-cutting measures. The High Court order stated, “The letters of redundancy dated 13/5/2025 are hereby suspended pending the hearing of this application and the application dated 28/4/2025.” Both applications will be mentioned for further directions on May 28, 2025. UASu, through lawyer Titus Koceyo, argued that the university issued the redundancy notices while a case challenging the intention to terminate the lecturers’ employment was still pending. He stated that when the application seeking to halt layoffs came up for hearing on May 14, the court directed the parties to negotiate and discuss within two weeks and report back to court on May 28, 2025. However, immediately after the court hearing, the university issued 120 redundancy notices to union members, backdated to May 13, 2025. Koceyo argued that unless the university was stopped from implementing the redundancy process, the lecturers would face unemployment and that the move was in violation of labor laws. The intended redundancy of the lecturers was being carried out in a clandestine manner, and the dismissals may not be reversible unless the court intervenes. Furthermore, the institution had yet to inform the union of the criteria used to identify staff for termination, in accordance with section 40 (1) (c) of the Employment Act. Last month, UASu initiated legal action against Moi University to challenge its intention to terminate some of its members. The matter came up for mention on Wednesday, and the management requested 14 days to negotiate with the union. However, the university issued redundancy notices to its staff in line with its restructuring plans, affecting staff across all departments. The management has defended the redundancy of staff, citing a decline in revenue due to a decrease in student enrolment and an escalating wage bill as the reasons. Prof Kiplagat Kotut, the acting vice-chancellor, issued the notice in April. He stated that the student numbers have dropped from 48,000 in 2015 to 21,000 currently, making it difficult for the university to meet its financial obligations. The decision to dismiss staff came three months after a new management team was appointed to address the financial crisis at the institution. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba appointed Prof Noah Midamba as the new council chairman, along with Prof Ronald Wasike, Dr Mercy Nyambura Kanyara, Dr Edwin Sambili, and Anne Weceke Makori as members of the university council. Prof Midamba