Moi University to Sell Dogs, Donkeys in Public Auction to Settle Debts

Cash-strapped institution puts livestock, vehicles, and German Shepherds worth Sh40,000 each under the hammer as financial crisis deepens

Moi University has announced plans to auction off an unusual collection of assets including dogs, donkeys, cattle, and vehicles in a desperate bid to raise funds amid a crippling financial crisis that has seen the institution accumulate debts exceeding Sh8 billion.

The public auction, scheduled for Thursday, June 24, 2025, will see the cash-strapped university dispose of German Shepherd dogs with a reserve price of Sh40,000 each, alongside donkeys ranging from Sh9,000 to Sh15,000, and bulls valued between Sh50,000 and Sh70,000.

In a notice signed by Vice-Chancellor Professor Kiplagat Kotut and dated June 16, 2025, the university said the sale of “surplus assets” would be conducted at the Main Campus Transport Department yard and Farm yard in Kesses, Uasin Gishu County, starting at 9:30 a.m.

The auction catalog reveals the extent of the university’s asset disposal strategy.

Among the high-value items is a Toyota Hilux pickup truck with a reserve price of Sh350,000, while pigs will be sold for between Sh3,500 and Sh7,000 each. Even used tires will go under the hammer as a single lot for Sh12,000.

The livestock section features well-bred bulls and bull calves with prices ranging from Sh7,000 to Sh70,000, reflecting the university’s once-thriving agricultural programs that have become casualties of the financial turmoil.

To participate in the auction, bidders must register between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. on auction day and pay a refundable deposit of Sh20,000 for motor vehicles or Sh2,000 for other items.

Viewing will be allowed on June 20 and 23, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Deep financial crisis

Moi University.

The unusual auction comes as Moi University grapples with what education experts describe as one of the worst financial crises in Kenya’s higher education sector.

The institution faces certified outstanding debts of Sh8 billion, with Sh8.6 billion owed in unremitted loans, unpaid pensions, and salary arrears.

The university’s financial woes include failure to remit Sh4 billion in salary deductions, default on a Sh3 billion loan to Rivatex East Africa Limited, and accumulated unpaid bills of Sh1.1 billion as of June 2020.

The debt crisis has been partly attributed to a bloated workforce and a shrinking student population that has declined from 50,000 to fewer than 30,000, according to council officials.

Government intervention

The Treasury has attempted to address the crisis through bailout packages. Moi University received an additional Sh1.8 billion in the latest round of state bailouts for universities, making it the largest beneficiary among distressed public universities.

However, the financial assistance has failed to resolve the underlying issues, with the Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu) accusing management of flouting the Return-to-Work-Formula deal over the contentious Sh8.6 billion salary and statutory deductions debt.

Strict auction terms

The university has imposed strict conditions for the auction, emphasizing that all sales will be conducted on an “as-is-where-is” basis with immediate cash payment required.

The highest bidder will be declared the purchaser and must settle the amount immediately upon the fall of the hammer.

Failure to make immediate payment will result in forfeiture of the deposit, according to the notice.

The university has also prohibited canvassing and warned that sales will only proceed if reserve prices are met.

The asset disposal represents more than just a fundraising exercise; it symbolizes the broader crisis affecting Kenya’s public university system.

Two of Kenya’s most prominent public universities, Moi University and the University of Nairobi, are deep in crisis, raising red flags about the state and future of higher education in the country.

The auction of livestock and pets that once served educational and research purposes highlights how the financial crisis has forced the university to abandon core academic functions in favor of survival measures.

For the 45-year-old institution that once stood as a beacon of higher education in Kenya’s Rift Valley region, the upcoming auction represents a sobering reminder of how far it has fallen from its former glory.