The Multimedia University of Kenya (MMU) is once again the subject of internal turmoil following protracted disputes regarding unpaid remuneration for part-time academic staff.
Lecturers within the institution recently initiated an internal work stoppage over arrears that, according to staff, date back several years, even as part-time tutors continue to be allocated teaching responsibilities on assurances that outstanding payments will be settled in due course.
Part-time lecturers who sought legal representation to pursue their unpaid dues were subsequently removed from the university’s teaching schedules, leaving unresolved questions as to whether any of the contested arrears were ultimately paid.
The dispute has, on occasion, spilled into public view, most prominently in an incident that drew national attention after a man identifying himself as a part-time lecturer scaled the roof of the Administration Block while demanding payment for work he said he had carried out in 2022 and 2023.
In widely circulated video footage, he stood on the building draped in the Kenyan flag, calling out the university’s management and declaring that he had reported to the institution repeatedly without receiving any clear communication on when his dues would be settled.
He warned that he would jump if his claims were ignored, prompting anxiety among students and staff who gathered below.
The stand-off unfolded at a period when public universities were already contending with industrial unrest, and the video triggered debate across social media platforms, with some users questioning his employment status while many others expressed sympathy, pointing to long-running frustrations experienced by part-time tutors across the higher-education sector.
The episode echoed an earlier incident in which another part-time lecturer, who had withheld final-year examination results over unpaid remuneration, caused a disturbance on campus before eventually receiving a payment said to have exceeded one million shillings.
Further issues have arisen concerning the institution’s handling of statutory deductions.
According to part-time staff, the university deducts a 30% tax from part-time remuneration but does not remit these deductions to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), leaving staff without the statutory documents required during annual tax return filings.
Disparities in payment patterns have also been reported, with some part-time lecturers said to be receiving their dues while others continue to wait, deepening unease among academic staff as the institution prepares to commence its next academic period.
There are now concerns from stakeholders that the institution’s continued failure to resolve these matters may weaken confidence in its administrative capacity, strain relations between management and academic staff, and disrupt teaching quality if part-time tutors choose to withdraw their labour.
In the meantime, part-time lecturers preparing for the upcoming academic cycle remain unsure of when or if their outstanding dues will be honoured.
The disquiet has cast a cloud over the university’s preparations for the new term, with some staff expressing pessimism about a swift resolution and others calling for formal engagement between management and affected tutors to prevent further unrest.
As the institution moves into its next phase of teaching and examinations, the lingering tensions over unpaid remuneration, stalled communication, and disputed tax deductions continue to shape conversations among staff and students alike.
The situation now places the Multimedia University of Kenya at a critical point, with the trajectory of its academic environment resting on whether its leadership can restore confidence and bring closure to disputes that have persisted for years.
Below is what one member of the part-time teaching staff, who requested anonymity, set out regarding the long-running dispute over unpaid remuneration and the events that have unfolded within the institution over the years.
“Hello Cyprian. Kindly keep my identity anonymous. My issue is with Multimedia University. The lecturers had an internal strike due to, among others, the failure of the institution to pay them their part-time dues. It is very easy for the lecturers to do so, claiming they have not been paid since 2018, yet there are part-timers who have not been paid since 2019, and they continue being given units and lied to that their money will be paid. There was a group of part-timers who united and hired a lawyer to fight for them; they all lost their part-time jobs. No idea if they were ever paid. One part-timer withheld the final-year results and came to the college and caused a fracas; he was paid all his money, over a million shillings. Recently, there was a part-timer from the Films and Media Department who went and sat on the roof of the Administration Block asking for his money; no idea if he was paid. The administration itself deducts the 30% tax during part-time payment but never remits it to the government. No part-timer has ever received those tax documents to use when filing their returns, yet the money was deducted. (Un)fortunately, it seems that some part-timers are better off than others. They have been getting their money while others continue suffering.”
