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JKUAT lecturers dismiss VC’s claim on payment of Sh2 million allowances
UASU says individuals alleged to have received the irregular entertainment allowances fall within Job Groups 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 who are not academic staff
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) lecturers’ union has distanced itself from reports it has negotiated for the payment of Ksh 2 million in personal emoluments.
The University Academic Staff Union (UASU) Chapter Secretary Dr Shadrack Muya, in a statement, dismissed the reports attributed to Vice-Chancellor Prof Victoria Ngumi as inaccurate.
Prof Ngumi is said to have made the remarks when appeared before the National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee last month to answer questions on inconsistencies in the university’s personal emoluments, particularly the irregular disbursement of entertainment allowances totaling over Ksh 2 million to staff members who, as per Section C.12 of the Public Service Human Resource Policies and Procedures Manual (2016), are not eligible for such allowances.
These concerns, Muya noted, were raised in the Auditor General’s report for the Financial Year 2022/2023.
In her defence, the Vice-Chancellor claimed that these allowances were negotiated items between the University
Council and the unions.
“Following these claims, the UASU JKUAT Chapter leadership contacted the Office of the Auditor General on 1st April 2025 and on 7th April 2025, we obtained an official, signed copy of the report for review,” Muya added.
He said after careful examination of the report, the Chapter leadership noted that the individuals alleged to have received the irregular entertainment allowances fall within Job Groups 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11.
“It is important to emphasise that UASU membership at JKUAT is strictly limited to academic staff in Job Groups 11A through 15A,” the official explained.
Moreover, he pointed out, staff in Job Group 11A typically consist of academic personnel under training and are, therefore, unlikely to occupy administrative positions that qualify for entertainment allowances.
“The currently applicable Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between UASU JKUAT Chapter and the
University Council is the 2013–2017 CBA,”
“This agreement contains no provision for entertainment allowances. Therefore, the union has not, at any time, negotiated for such allowances,” states the Union Chapter Secretary.
He added; “In light of the above, the UASU JKUAT Chapter unequivocally states that the Vice-Chancellor’s assertion that the entertainment allowances in question were negotiated by the union and the council is inaccurate as far as UASU is concerned.”
