Technical University of Kenya (TUK) students took to the streets in protest as lecturers and non-teaching staff went on strike over unpaid salaries.
On Monday, frustrated employees of the university gathered outside the institution, marching in unity and chanting slogans.
Some carried placards, while one protester dramatically bore a cross, symbolising their struggles.
The strike, which began on Thursday, January 23, followed the expiration of a seven-day notice issued earlier.
Fred Savanje, Secretary-General of the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) TUK Chapter, blamed both the government and the university administration for ignoring their pleas.
He outlined key grievances, including salaries owed since September 2024 and the university’s failure to remit statutory deductions such as the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), National Social Security Fund (NSSF), and SACCO contributions.
“We are holding peaceful demonstrations daily, petitioning the relevant authorities to address our grievances. However, we have yet to receive any formal response from the institutions we petitioned,” he stated.
Savanje also warned that the ongoing strike was severely affecting students, with no learning taking place. He insisted that protests would continue until their demands were met.
A strike notice issued on January 16, had cautioned that lecturers and other staff would withdraw their services if the outstanding payments were not made.
This latest strike comes followiing growing frustration over the government’s failure to implement the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
UASU Organising Secretary Onesmas Muluki noted that despite the agreement being signed in 2024, key commitments, including payment of November and December salaries for some lecturers, remain unfulfilled.
“We agreed that new salaries for university lecturers would be implemented in December, including arrears for October and November. Instead, we went for Christmas without the promised salaries,” Muluki said.
Due to the strike, exams originally scheduled to begin today, Monday, have been postponed until further notice.
