Egerton University Vice Chancellor, Prof Isaac Kibwage, has blamed the institution’s current financial woes on a past deal between the former leadership and Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). 

In a press interview, Prof Kibwage said the university pays millions of shillings per month to the taxman to service an accumulated Pay as You Earn (PAYE) debt and what becomes due. 

He noted that in a month, Egerton receives 185 million shillings in funding from the national government and raises 26 million shillings from other sources including tuition fees paid by students. 

Prof Kibwage expressed concern that despite engaging the university staff and laying bare the financial status of the institution before them, they have continued to pressure the management to pay them full salaries. 

The lecturers issued a 21 days strike notice last week demanding full pay from their employer just a day after the students returned from the long December holiday. 

The VC said the university management intends to do away with some of its programs that have failed to attract enough students to sustain them.