Prof Isaac Kibwage, Vice-Chancellor of Egerton University, and eight members of the University Council risks six months in prison for contempt of court.
In his judgement, Justice David Nderitu cited the nine for contempt for failing to comply with directives granted by the Employment and Labour Relations Court on May 30, which instructed the institution to pay lecturers 100% of their wages.
Nderitu said that Kibwage, together with council chairperson Dr Hukka Wario, Paul K’Angira, Julius Mutua, Wilson Ronno, Charity Nyaga, John Ondari, Esther Wabuge, and Joshua Otieno, had openly chosen to disregard the directives that were detrimental to the professors.
The University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) Egerton Chapter petitioned for contempt when the university imposed a 40% wage cut in 2020 on charges of an economic measure during the height of the Covid-19 outbreak, leaving the school financially impoverished.
Despite Kibwage and the Council’s statements that the impacts of Covid were the focus reason for the deduction, Nderitu says that they failed to show proof of audited accounting that supported their stance.
He further stated that the university’s decision to withdraw pay constituted a violation of the professors’ rights. The nine had said in their submissions that the withheld wages were caused by income stream reductions and the detrimental consequences of Covid.
Kibwage and the Council unsuccessfully sought the court to suspend sentencing to allow the parties to work out an out of Court settlement.
