TUK staff sack cuts as Sh13b debt triggers reforms

Staff at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK), currently undergoing a forensic audit, face possible job losses as the Ministry of Education moves to revive the struggling institution.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba told the National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee on Education that Sh145 million had been allocated this year to pay staff salaries, but further interventions, including staff downsizing, were underway. “As part of our recovery strategy, we shall implement cost-cutting measures, including staff rightsizing, restructuring, and revenue enhancement,” Ogamba said.

He revealed that since TUK was chartered in 2013, it has struggled with funding shortfalls and accumulated debts of Sh12.99 billion.

MPs questioned why these issues were only being addressed now and demanded to know who was responsible for over-employment.

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Committee chair Jack Wamboka and Kuresoi South MP Joseph Tonui pressed the CS to explain the downsizing criteria and compensation plans for affected staff.

Lunga Lunga MP Chiforomondo Mangale doubted the CS’s strategy, urging a focus on Auditor-General findings.

Ogamba noted the institution’s inverted staffing structure—70 percent non-teaching staff versus 30 per cent teaching staff—and a 1:15 teacher-student ratio, was far from the ideal 1:30. “We must downsize. In any institution, teaching staff should outnumber non-teaching staff,” he said.

The CS assured MPs that funds were available to compensate retrenched staff and that talks with unions were ongoing to safeguard staff rights. This comes after the committee ordered a full audit of TUK’s finances from 2013 to date. [Josephat Thiong’o]

“Following the audit, we will give further directives, as there’s clearly more to this than meets the eye,” said Wamboka.

Staff at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK), which is undergoing forensic audit, are now staring at job losses as part of the Ministry of Education’s new measures to revamp the institution.

Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba yesterday told the National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee on Education that other interventions such as the pumping in of Sh145 million this year to ensure the staff salaries are paid on time have been put in place.

 “As part of our recovery strategy, we shall be implementing cost-cutting measures, including staff rightsizing and organizational restructuring and revenue enhancement,” said Ogamba.

He said the University had not paid salaries since the award of its charter in 2013 as it had been operating with chronic funding shortfalls and had accumulated pending bills amounting to Sh12.99 billion.

The committee criticised his decision to fire staff and sought to know the criteria that he would be used to determine who stays and who leaves.

 “Why are you choosing to address this issue of TUK now yet these issues have been there for all these years? When you say you want to downsize the staff, it means that somebody at the institution over-employed. We want to know who that is so that we can go after them, “stated the chairperson Jack Wamboka.

Kuresoi South MP Joseph Tonui posed, “What criteria will you use to downsize the staff and have you already come up with a mechanism through which you will use to compensate those retrenched?”

Lunga Lunga MP Chiforomondo Mangale was not convinced that the CS’s strategy to turn around the institution was the right one given the circumstances.

“Mr chairman, I’m afraid that the CS is only pumping resources into the institution instead of addressing issues that have been raised by the Auditor General,”observed the lawmaker.

Ogamba explained that the number of non-teaching staff at the institution was 70 percent and had exceeded the teaching staff who marked only 30 percent. He also explained that the current teacher- student ratio was 1 to 15 compared to the required 1 to 30 for technical institutions.

 “...We are already in a situation we must downsize. It is required that in any institution the number of teaching staff should be more than the non-teaching staff but at the Technical University of Kenya the pyramid is inverted,” submitted Ogamba.

 “As we rationalise the staff, we have enough resources to ensure that we pay those that will be going home. We can also ask Treasury for money to pay even those who have come to us and said that they would want to leave,” he added.

 The committee also heard that the ministry was in talks with the workers unions to ensure that the staff’s rights were not violated during the exercise.

This development comes after the Committee directed the Office of the Auditor-General to conduct a comprehensive audit of the university’s finances.

The exercise, set to span three months, will cover the period from 2013—when the institution received its charter—to date.

“Following the audit, this committee will issue further directives on how the institution should be managed, because it is clear that there is more than meets the eye regarding the university’s operations,” said PIC chair Jack Wamboka last week.

Staff at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK), currently undergoing a forensic audit, face possible job losses as the Ministry of Education moves to revive the struggling institution. Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba told the National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee on Education that Sh145 million had been allocated this year to pay staff salaries, but further interventions, including staff downsizing, were underway.

“As part of our recovery strategy, we shall implement cost-cutting measures, including staff rightsizing, restructuring, and revenue enhancement,” Ogamba said.

He revealed that since TUK was chartered in 2013, it has struggled with funding shortfalls and accumulated debts of Sh12.99 billion. MPs questioned why these issues were only being addressed now and demanded to know who was responsible for over-employment.

Committee chair Jack Wamboka and Kuresoi South MP Joseph Tonui pressed the CS to explain the downsizing criteria and compensation plans for affected staff. Lunga Lunga MP Chiforomondo Mangale doubted the CS’s strategy, urging a focus on Auditor-General findings.

Ogamba noted the institution’s inverted staffing structure—70 percent non-teaching staff versus 30 per cent teaching staff—and a 1:15 teacher-student ratio, was far from the ideal 1:30. “We must downsize. In any institution, teaching staff should outnumber non-teaching staff,” he said.

He assured MPs that funds were available to compensate retrenched staff and that talks with unions were ongoing to safeguard staff rights.

This comes after the committee ordered a full audit of TUK’s finances from 2013 to date. “Following the audit, we will give further directives, as there’s clearly more to this than meets the eye,” said Wamboka.