Strikes become the new normal in varsities as cash crisis persists

Lecturers and staff at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) began a strike on Thursday over delayed payment of December salaries.

The University and Academic Staff Union (UASU) said the decision followed the lapse of a notice issued on January 16.

Fred Sawenja, the TUK chapter secretary, explained that other issues contributing to the strike include the non-remittance of statutory and third-party deductions, as well as the institution’s failure to replace a pension scheme six months after it was wound up.

“We have petitioned Parliament over the situation at the university, and unless there is payment, we will not return to work. This is just the beginning; we have a long way to go,” Sawenja said on Thursday.

However, The Standard learnt that staff were paid December salaries by Thursday evening. Despite this, the unions are yet to call off the strike.

At Moi University, workers went on strike from January 10 after the government failed to honour a pay deal agreement. However, the industrial action was called off just a week later, on January 17, after the government released Sh113 million to pay salary arrears, as part of a return-to-work formula signed on November 30 that ended a three-month strike.

The standoff at TUK and Moi University reflects the broader challenges facing public universities. The High Court recently dismissed the new funding formula for the institutions, ruling it unconstitutional and illegal.

The ruling has left all 39 public universities without government funding since October for students under the new model, plunging these institutions into a severe financial crisis.

The crisis has triggered a wave of staff strikes across universities.

Additionally, nearly 250,000 students under the new model are without upkeep funds for their daily expenses.

In response, the government has filed a case seeking a temporary stay of the court order to restore funding and allow university operations to resume.

On Wednesday, the chairman of the Vice-Chancellors’ Committee, Prof. Daniel Mugendi, announced that the committee is pursuing a stay order to ease the strain on universities and students.

Prof. Mugendi described the dire situation created by the court ruling, emphasising the challenges universities face in managing operations.

“The universities have reopened, but due to the court ruling, first- and second-year students have been unable to access support from both the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) and the University Funding Board. This has placed the institutions in a very difficult position,” Prof. Mugendi said during a press briefing in Nairobi.

Prof. Mugendi, who is the Vice-Chancellor of Embu University, revealed that the lack of upkeep funds had forced many students to delay their return to university.

“Many are unable to pay rent or buy food, leaving them stranded at home,” he said.

So far, only Sh2.8 billion of the Sh13 billion in scholarships has been disbursed, leaving a Sh10.2 billion deficit. Similarly, only Sh5 billion of the Sh16 billion earmarked for student loans has been released, with Sh11 billion still pending.

The court ruling has also led to confusion over fees. Prof. Mugendi stated that universities have agreed not to demand payment from students under the new funding model until the issue is resolved in court.

“In terms of fees, we have agreed not to ask first- and second-year students to pay until the matter is settled in court, as they are unclear about the exact amounts they owe,” he explained.

However, investigations by The Standard revealed that some institutions are pressuring students to pay fees before they can sit their end-of-semester exams.

This is despite ongoing efforts to recover from disruptions to the academic calendar caused by a lecturers’ strike in September.