Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) officials when they issued a strike notice.

📋 Breaking It Down

Universities are increasingly hiring more part-time lecturers even as some reduce permanent academic staff, raising questions about staffing levels and the quality of teaching in higher education.

Data from the Commission for University Education (CUE) shows that the number of adjunct academic staff more than doubled in one year, rising from 758 in 2024 to 1,611 in 2025.

Read:  'Give me my money before I die’: Moi University retirees’ 25-year wait for dues

📌 What You Need to Know

The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has questioned how universities with increased student enrollments are being allowed to operate with a fraction of the academic staff they require.

“We are asking CUE, how do you charter these universities, given a university with 43 full-time academic staff has 17,000 students, another one has 33 full-time academic staff with 10,000 students, and another has 70 while they have 12,000 students,” UASU secretary general Constantine Wasonga posed.

An analysis of public university adverts for part-time and adjunct lecturers between 2024 and September 2026 shows that recruitment cuts are occurring across virtually the entire academic spectrum.

The entrance to Kenyatta University in this picture taken on April 5, 2025.

In March 2026, Kenyatta University advertised multiple part-time teaching positions across Agriculture, Animal Science, Agricultural Economics, Environment, Accounting and Finance, Business, Management Science, Applied Economics, Econometrics and Statistics, among other disciplines.

In May, Mama Ngina University College advertised part-time teaching opportunities in fields including Nursing and other medical disciplines, Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Analytics, Mathematics and Statistics.

📰 Source: Nation Africa