Daystar University’s top management is holed up in a crisis meeting to chart the way forward following the crisis sparked by demands by staff and students for an immediate release of an audit report that is set to lay bare misappropriation of funds and other scandalous dealings.
The university council on Thursday issued suspension letters to leaders of the staff and its students’ unions.
Copies of the letters seen by Business Today indicate that the implicated students and employees at Daystar would not be allowed to access the facility. The university has been deserted since Thursday morning when staff and students jointly grounded normal operations.
“All we want is the forensics audit report and subsequent implementation of its findings. We must have proper action taken and has to be anchored on what the audit shall reveal as it is not even imaginable that we can be dealing with a management body that we cannot trust and appear committed to ruin Daystar,” one of the leaders told Business Today.
A number of staff and students who are not union leaders have also been suspended.
“The letters came out on Wednesday night and they have also suspended students and staff that are not even union leaders for apparently being vocal on the matter. We are even surprised that even the person who has only been constantly praying for us is suspended,” said the leader. The leader sought not to be named given the nature of the matter fearing possible persecution.
Among major concerns brewing the fallout at the institution is the installation of a nephew to one of the institution’s bosses as the audit office boss. Major concerns are also implicating the institution’s human resource office. A senior hiring manager at Daystar has worked through processes and has seen one of their kin, a primary school teacher, hired as a lecturer and sits comfortably on the payroll.
A number of the Church-run institution’s council members are members of one church and its head is also a neighbour to Vice Chancellor Timothy Wachira, who insiders say had been sent on a compulsory leave last year to pave way for investigations by Source Messes Company. The Daystar University website had, however, indicated that the VC had taken a sabbatical leave. Prof James Kombo was appointed the acting VC.
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Students had protested over poor meals and facilities, accusing the institution of giving them rice and ugali all through, adding that the meals were sometimes stale.
The forensic audit report had been scheduled for release on February 15 this year but this has not been done causing major mayhem and things are facing up at the private university that could be up for grabs by private investors.
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