Police arrest, fire tear gas at lecturers striking in Nairobi CBD

Several members of the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) were arrested on Monday as they attempted to deliver petitions to the Parliament, Treasury, and Ministry of Education.

The lecturers, who are members of the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU), had taken to the streets, accusing the government of failing to honour the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Police responded by firing teargas, scattering the crowd, and igniting tension in the city centre, while at the same time derailing the lecturers from marching to Parliament.

The teargas forced the university lecturers to scatter for safety as smoke filled the air. Business activities in the city were affected, with pedestrians and traders also caught in the chaos.

Many were seen running for cover, shielding their faces from the effects of the teargas.

Videos and photos seen by The Eastleigh Voice showed people fleeing the area, questioning the police's heavy-handed response against the unarmed lecturers.

“What is wrong with these people [the police]?” A protester could be heard yelling amid the confusion.

In a video circulating online, police officers were seen forcefully arresting a female staff member near the Ministry of Education offices, shoving her into a police vehicle.

“Leave me alone; what have I done to be arrested?" The unidentified woman cried out as police dragged her away.

The strike comes a few days after the Employment and Labour Relations Court, on September 18, 2024, ordered the lecturers to end the strike and return to work. \

The court cited disruptions in learning at public universities and directed both sides to resume negotiations while the matter is addressed in court.

Justice Jacob Gakeri gave the unions and the Ministry of Education seven days to respond to the case, with the next hearing set for October 2, 2024.