Police Clash with University Lecturers as Tear Gas Disperses Protest
Police deployed tear gas on Monday to disperse university lecturers marching toward Parliament.
The lecturers, part of the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), aimed to deliver petitions regarding an unimplemented Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the government.
As the air filled with tear gas, the educators were forced to flee in search of safety.
The unions, including UASU and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU), also planned to march to the Treasury and Ministry of Education offices in the CBD to address delays in finalizing the 2021-2025 CBA.
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Nearby businesses and pedestrians were similarly affected, scrambling to escape the tear gas.
Footage shared by gossipa2z.com showed individuals in Nairobi’s Central Business District covering their noses and questioning the police’s actions as they ran.
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“What’s wrong with these people (the police)?” one voice shouted amidst the chaos.
Several union staff were arrested during the protest, with videos capturing the forceful detention of a female staff member at the Ministry of Education, who pleaded with police, “Leave me alone, what have I done to be arrested?”
The lecturers initiated a nationwide strike after the government failed to fulfill its commitments under the CBA.
This incident follows a court order from the Employment and Labour Relations Court on September 18, 2024, mandating the lecturers to cease the strike and return to work immediately, as classes were disrupted in public universities nationwide.
The court instructed all parties to engage in negotiations while the case proceeds through the judicial system. Justice Jacob Gakeri granted the University Unions and the Ministry of Education seven days to respond to the application, with the case set for further discussion on October 2.
At the time of publication, the unions had not stated the incident.
Police Clash with University Lecturers as Tear Gas Disperses Protest
