Technical university of Kenya (TUK) Students are set to officially resume learning following the end of a long-standing lecturers and staff strike that crippled learning in the institution.
The move comes following a meeting between the Ministry of Education (MoE) and key stakeholders within the university including lecturers, where the two groups reached a deal following the Signing of an Agreement.
Therefore, after weeks of uncertainty and academic disruption, the lecturer and students’ strike has come to an end. However, a source that spoke to JULISHA.CO.KE has revealed that some lecturers still feel that the deal is largely a promise and does not fully address their concerns.
The university, has since released its revised academic calendar for the 2024/2025 academic year. In the meeting, it was agreed that students would be granted a two-week revision period before sitting for their Semester examinations.
This decision aligns with the Return-to-Work Formula, which was signed on March 17, 2025, and the draft revised academic calendar is now awaiting Senate approval.
For Semester one, students will begin their revision period on March 18, 2025, which will run until March 29, 2025.
After this, Semester one examinations will take place from March 31, 2025, to April 12, 2025.
On the other hand, the second Semester is scheduled to begin on April 14, 2025, with lectures running until May 17, 2025.
This will be followed by Continuous Assessment Tests (CATS) from May 19 to May 24, 2025.
Moreover, lectures will resume for the second part of the semester from May 26 to June 28, 2025.
The semester will conclude with another round of CATS scheduled between June 30 and July 5, 2025.
On February 25, TUK students engaged in running battles with police officers in Nairobi CBD, after they staged demonstrations, demanding answers on the sudden and indefinite closure of the institution.
Earlier on February 3, the university students were instructed to vacate the premises immediately and all diploma and undergraduate examinations, which were set to begin, were also suspended.
According to the university Vice Chancellor Professor Benedict M. Mutua, the students were causing disruption in the school, forcing him to suspend some of them and suspend learning.
BACKGROUND ON THE STRIKE.
Technical University of Kenya staff and Lecturers, have gone for months without salaries, leaving the institution's employees struggling to make ends meet, amid an ongoing strike.
The lecturers’ strike at the Institution had entered its 54th day today, with attempts to resolve the industrial action last week on Wednesday collapsing.
The prolonged work boycott, which began on January 23, continued to disrupt academic activities, raising concerns over semester delays and potential setbacks in students’ graduation timelines.
A scheduled meeting meant to broker a deal between the lecturers and the university management failed to take place last week, as members of the Universities and Academic Staff Union (UASU) TUK chapter boycotted it.
UASU officials argued that the university administration, backed by the Ministry of Education, had failed to address their core grievances, making negotiations futile.
At the heart of the strike is the university’s failure to remit more than Sh300 million in statutory loan deductions dating back to January, a situation that has left lecturers in financial jeopardy.
According to UASU TUK Chapter Secretary Fred Sawenja, irregular salary payments, coupled with unremitted deductions, have rendered lecturers financially vulnerable.
“These deductions are meant to service loans, pensions, and insurance policies, yet the university has failed to remit them, leaving lecturers at risk of being declared credit unworthy,” Sawenja said.
The union had vowed to continue the industrial action until their demands are met, while the university administration insisted that financial constraints limit its ability to comply with the lecturers’ requests.
The lecturers accused the Ministry of Education of inaction, with UASU leaders arguing that the government had not taken meaningful steps to address their concerns.
The union insisted that the responsibility falls on the ministry to ensure universities are adequately funded and that staff members receive their dues on time.
Lecturers also accused the university of operating in a state of perpetual mismanagement.
According to Employees who spoke to JULISHA.CO.KE, their last Salary payment was in December 2024. A Staff, revealed that Salaries are either delayed or paid in fractions, leaving them struggling to survive.
