The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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Lecturers and non-teaching staff at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) have once again taken to the streets to protest the non-payment of their salary arrears.
On Monday, the disgruntled employees gathered outside the university, marching in unity and chanting slogans. Some protesters held placards, while one individual dramatically carried a cross to represent their hardships during the peaceful demonstration.
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The strike began on Thursday, January 23, after a seven-day notice had passed without resolution.
Fred Savanje, Secretary-General of the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) TUK Chapter, led the protest and accused both the government and university administration of ignoring their demands. He outlined several issues, including unpaid salaries dating back to September 2024, and the university’s failure to remit statutory deductions like the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), National Social Security Fund (NSSF), and SACCO contributions.
“We are holding daily peaceful demonstrations, urging the relevant authorities to address our concerns. However, we have not received any formal response from the institutions we petitioned,” Savanje said.
He also pointed out the negative effect the strike has had on learning, warning that the protests would continue until their demands were met.
“As you can see, there is no learning happening, and this will persist in the coming days unless the administration responds to our demands and settles our arrears,” he added.
A strike notice was issued on January 16, warning that lecturers and other university employees would stop working if their concerns were not addressed.
This strike comes after UASU had previously warned about the government’s failure to implement the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). UASU Organising Secretary Onesmas Muluki explained that even though the agreement was signed in 2024, the government had not honored its terms, including the payment of salaries for November and December for some lecturers.
“We agreed that new salaries for university lecturers would be implemented in December, along with arrears for October and November. Instead, we entered the holiday season without receiving the promised payments,” Muluki said.
