An audit has revealed that more than 350 staff members of the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) possess questionable academic credentials, resulting in their removal from the institution’s payroll.
All the affected staff at various levels within the workforce, including lecturers, will have their employment terminated at the end of this month.
Yesterday, a university insider revealed that certain cases will be referred to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) for additional investigation and potential legal action.
“In total, there are about 350 sacked workers, including very senior members of academic staff. Others are in lower ranks,” the source said.
The forged documents cover various educational levels.
In response to the development, TUK chapter of the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) communicated with its members to strategize for the future.
“It has come to the attention of the union (from colleagues) that the above captioned matter. Some members of staff have received letters from the university management notifying them of their intended removal from the payroll, effective July 1 2024. This is to inform all the affected members to immediately share the details of their letters with the chapter office for advice on the way forward,” the communication said in part.
“Given the varied reasons for the intended action by management, it is prudent that the union and her members take a collective, responsible and reasonable approach to address the aforementioned letters,” adds the letter by the chapter secretary Fred Wanyonyi Sawenja.
In the previous year, TUK’s management initiated efforts to revise its staffing structure in response to allegations of an overstaffed workforce. These changes occurred alongside new appointments and promotions of academic staff, which were met with claims of impropriety.
In June 2023, a memo from the Director of Human Resource Management instructed unit heads, school administrators, faculty members, and centre administrators to conduct a staff headcount and identify any vacant positions.
In December of last year, the process of verifying workers’ academic certificates began, involving checks with different institutions.
Recently, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua claimed that more than 10,000 individuals on the government payroll possess questionable qualifications.
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