The crisis in Kenya’s higher education deepened this week after over 40 lecturers from the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) were interdicted and placed on half salaries for participating in the nationwide lecturers’ strike that has paralyzed learning in public universities for 34 days.
The interdicted lecturers, who were among those leading the ongoing strike, arrived at the university only to find the main gate locked and letters of interdiction awaiting them. The move has sparked outrage among members of the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU), who have vowed to continue their protest until all demands are met.
TUK lecturers, led by UASU Secretary General Fred Sawenja, said they would remain out of class until the court delivers a ruling on December 11 regarding the government’s failure to implement the 2019–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
“The court has directed that if the government won’t resolve the CBA issue and strike within 10 days, it will give a ruling on December 11,” said Sawenja.
At the heart of the dispute is a pending Ksh.7.9 billion pay increment that the unions say the government has failed to release. The lecturers accuse the authorities of intimidation through interdictions and delayed salaries.
Jacob Musembi, UASU’s national deputy secretary general, criticized TUK’s management for reneging on a March agreement to pay full salaries from July.
“They are using interdiction letters to intimidate us. We won’t bow down,” said Musembi.
As protest songs echo across deserted campuses, the future of higher education in Kenya remains uncertain. With both UASU and KUSU maintaining a hardline stance, the standoff shows no sign of easing, leaving thousands of students stranded and learning in limbo.
