Police deployed teargas to disperse students from the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) yesterday who were protesting the closure of their institution at the Ministry of Education (MoE).
The students gathered at Jogoo House to petition Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba regarding the university’s closure.
The university had been shut down on February 3 due to staff strikes over unpaid salaries. The students are demanding the immediate reopening of their university and a resolution to the staff’s grievances so academic activities can resume.
This protest marks the second strike following the closure of TUK. Last Wednesday, students held a peaceful demonstration at Jogoo House, demanding immediate action from the Ministry.
The university’s senate ordered the institution’s indefinite closure after staff members began their strike over unpaid salaries.
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This situation escalated after six students were suspended for allegedly organizing a strike that disrupted examinations. However, on February 2, Vice-Chancellor Professor Benedict Mutua rescinded the suspension, stating that the University Management Board (UMB) and the Student Association of TUK (SATUK) Council had decided following a consultative meeting.
“The university has resolved to withdraw the suspension letters for the six students. The Vice-Chancellor will engage with the affected students in a fatherly dialogue,” Mutua stated. Additionally, the university suspended diploma and undergraduate examinations that were scheduled to take place from February 3 to February 15.
In a memo released on Monday, Academic Registrar Moses Wamalwa cited the ongoing strike by teaching staff—members of the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU)—as the reason for this suspension.
On Monday, Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala in a statement said that the government is actively engaging all relevant stakeholders, including students, to swiftly resolve the ongoing industrial action at the institution.
By Joseph Mambili
