The Technical University of Kenya (TUK) has addressed reports that the university has been shut down days after it was declared financially insolvent by the National Assembly.
The Parliamentary Committee on Education on Wednesday, April 16, declared TUK insolvent amid a deepening financial crisis marked by billions of debts and persistent salary delays for staff.
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This came after current and former administrators faced tough questions before the committee about how the institution accrued debts exceeding Ksh12 billion.
Following the insolvency declaration, a notice purported to be from TUK resurfaced, claiming that the university has been closed.
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The document, which has since been flagged as fake, alleged that the university would be closed for 3 months and that no one would be allowed within the institution’s premises.
“Following the declaration of insolvency by Parliament and the institution’s financial crisis, this is to notify all students, and stakeholders that The Technical University of Kenya (TUK) shall be closed with effect from Monday, 21st April 2025,” read part of the notice.
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It added, “The university will remain closed for a period of three (3) months, or until a satisfying agreement has been reached on the way forward. We appreciate cooperation and understanding as we work towards resolving the institution’s financial challenges.”
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TUK flags shutdown notice
However, the university flagged the notice in a statement on Friday, April 18, noting that normal operations are on.
“Treat this document circulated online as FAKE, the University has not been closed. Classes and normal operations are on,” the statement reads.
The financial crisis at TUK has largely been blamed on a bloated workforce that exceeds the institution’s operational capacity, with payroll consuming Ksh270 million monthly.
Additionally, the institution has failed to remit statutory deductions for several years, with the former and current administrators acknowledging severe financial mismanagement.
The administrators also revealed that staff, including lecturers, have not received their full salaries since 2013.
That was the same year when TUK was granted full university status and awarded a charter.
Also, the university has failed to remit employee deductions for years including pensions, for more than a decade.
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The lawmakers learnt that more than Ksh5 billion in pension funds cannot be accounted for.
“I can’t remember off head the last time we remitted deductions we have never paid in full,” admitted former Deputy VC Francis Oduor.
Parliament declares insolvency
The financial burden has further been worsened by overemployment, with the university hiring more staff than it can sustain, ultimately making it impossible to meet its salary obligations.
“From 2013, the staff have never received their gross salaries. The money that is paid, the money that has been coming, was not enough to pay gross salaries,” said Deputy Vice Chancellor Benedict Mutua.
“One of our biggest problems is that our wage bill is too huge compared to the size of the students that we have. Our gross salary is expected to be Ksh272 million per month. What you get in form of government capitation is Ksh63.3 million.”
While declaring TUK financially insolvent, the Parliamentary Committee on Education directed government auditors to conduct a thorough investigation into its financial management within three months.
The committee will subsequently hold consultations with the Ministry of Education on how to address the university’s crisis, which now threatens to bring all institutional operations to a standstill.
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