The Technical University of Kenya (TUK) workers have narrated a series of events leading to a loss of Ksh5.3 billion meant to help them in retirement.

In a statement shared by the Senate on Friday, March 7, 2025, the workers appeared before the Committee on Labour and Social Welfare and revealed that the Technical University of Kenya Staff Retirement Benefits Scheme (TU-K SRBS) had collapsed.

In a moving session chaired by West Pokot Senator Julius Murgor, University Academic Staff Union (UASU) TUK Chapter Secretary Fred Sawenja detailed a troubling sequence of events dating back to July 2009.

Sawenja told the committee that TUK commenced making statutory pension deductions from staff salaries without establishing a registering scheme.

He told the Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare that the scheme was only formally recognised by the Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA) in November 2013, yet concerns over remittances emerged almost immediately.

“By 2014, the union had already complained to the RBA about missing funds. Within a year of the scheme’s registration, remittances had already become an issue,” Sawenja stated.

The committee was stunned to learn that for 15 years, TUK deducted employee contributions but failed to remit both the employees’ deductions and the university’s matching contributions to the custodian bank.

Even more troubling, deductions continued after September 2017, when the RBA sought a court order to wind up the scheme and persisted for two months after the High Court formally ordered its liquidation in July 2024.

Former trustee and Academic Staff Representative Peter Kanyuira pointed to a conflict of interest within the board, explaining that while three trustees were elected by staff, the university council appointed three others and irregularly co-opted four more, shifting control away from employees.

Senators launch probe

Moved the submission, the Senators decided to launch a probe into the matter to establish what transpired. Nominated Senator Beth Syengo implored the committee to summon all individuals implicated in the brewing scandal, including the scheme administrator, custodian, and fund manager, for further scrutiny.

Others called on the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary-General, Francis Atwoli, to explain why the national trade union body had not intervened.

“These workers served this country in their youth, yet in old age, they have been abandoned. We need the trade union boss to tell us why he is not defending their rights,” Senator Miraj Abdullahi demanded.

TUK closure

The university, located in the heart of Nairobi Central Business District, was closed indefinitely following a series of protests by the workers.

This forced the students to stage demonstrations in Nairobi, demanding an audience with the Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos Ogamba.

The situation further escalated on Thursday, March 7, 2025, after lecturers downed tools indefinitely due to salary arrears.

This has left thousands of students stranded, jeopardising their prospects of graduating within the expected timelines. If the issue remains unsolved, it will also affect new admissions expected to take place in September 2025.