We will not go back to Garissa, non-teaching varsity staff vow

Garissa University College’s non-teaching staff have vowed not to travel back to Garissa to resume duties as instructed by the institution’s principal, Prof Ahmed Warfa.

Officials of the University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) told the Nation on Tuesday they would defy orders issued through a letter by Prof Warfa, who wants them relieved of their duties at their temporary location at Moi University in Eldoret.

In his letter dated June 25, Prof Warfa says since the teaching of Garissa University students relocated to Moi University had ended, Garissa staff are required to report back to their institution.

“All administrative and support staff are with immediate effect required to start reporting to (the) Garissa campus. By 1st July, you should have reported to the Ag Deputy Principal, FAP, ready to resume duties in your departments,” Prof Warfa’s letter says.

“Those co-ordinating administration of examinations are exempt from this directive and would report back as soon as the exam period is over.”

But speaking at Moi University’s main campus on Tuesday, Uasu's Garissa University chapter secretary Walter Kodipo said they were not ready to go back to Garissa, where they said security matters had not been addressed.

“We will stand firm and fight for our lives and will not agree to lose our lives in the hands of Al-Shabaab attacks ,” he said.

LOSE JOBS

Mr Kodipo also said that if the management insist they must go back, then they were ready to lose their jobs.

“During the April 2 attack, we learnt that the terrorists were also targeting our staff by mentioning their names. We have not changed our faith and we obviously know that we are the next targets,” said Mr Kodipo.

He said 35 non-teaching staff and 27 teaching staff currently at Moi University are all not from Garissa.

Mr Kodipo has subsequently appealed to elected leaders to intervene and come to their rescue.

“We want to tell Prof Warfa that he is not fair. Even after learning through the media that Garissa County is still facing runaway insecurity following frequent attacks that are being reported from the region, he has not listened,” he said.

A total of 612 students were offered temporary residence at the Eldoret campus following the closure of their institution.

The closure followed the April 2 terrorist attack that killed 148 people, mainly students.

The students who survived the attack were received at Moi University on May 19 to complete their studies and were enrolled in the School of Arts and Social Sciences, the School of Education, the School of Business and Economics and the School of Information Sciences.