Over 40 TUK lecturers interdicted, paid half salaries for participating in strike

The striking lecturers said they would wait for the court ruling set for December 11. This comes as lecturers at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) began their own protest after the institution issued interdiction letters to more than 40 members of the academic staff for participating in the ongoing national strike.

As protest songs continue to echo across campuses, lecture halls in public universities remained deserted for the 34th day.

The fate of higher education continues to hang in the balance after lecturers’ and workers’ unions, UASU and KUSU, maintained that they will not resume teaching until the government releases the remaining Ksh.7.9 billion pay increment agreed upon in the 2019–2021 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 Fred Sawenja, secretary general, UASU, TUK.

As academic staff at the Technical University began a parallel protest over the institution’s failure to honour the March agreement to pay full salaries and end the practice of half payments.

“One of our issues is that when we ended our strike in March, we agreed they would pay full salaries from July. It’s now September, and they haven’t, contrary to the return-to-work formula,” said Jacob Musembi, national deputy secretary general, UASU.

“They are using interdiction letters to intimidate us, we won’t bow down,” said Fred Sawenja, secretary general, UASU, TUK.

Over 40 lecturers and staff from TUK who were leading the nationwide strike were shocked when they found the main gate locked and received letters of interdiction. They’ve vowed that both the national and TUK strikes will continue until all their demands are met.

“The people we are demanding our rights from are harassing us by interdicting us and paying half salaries. If they are so efficient, why can’t they be efficient in paying full salaries?” said Andrew Musungu, secretary general, KUSU, TUK.