SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Starting July 1, 2026, SAR no longer publishes reports for the incidents that it records. SAR continues to monitor and record incidents that will be used in the annual Free to Think report. This page provides a record of incidents reported up to that date. Learn more about the Academic Freedom Monitoring Project.

Date of Incident: September 30, 2024

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances | Imprisonment

Institution(s):Multiple Institutions

Region & Country:Eastern Africa | Kenya

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On September 30, 2024, police fired teargas at lecturers from the University Academy Staff Union and the Kenya Universities Staff Union who were engaged in a protest march to parliament. Several lecturers were arrested.

On September 18, the two unions began striking, arguing that the Ministry of Education had delayed in completing the second phase of the 2021- 2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and in finalizing negotiations for the 2026-2030 CBA, and requesting their salary payments for the months of July and August. That same day, Kenya’s Employment and Labour Relations Court ordered the lecturers to end the strike and return to work.

On September 30, the union members marched toward the Parliament building to present a petition over the government related to their demands. A video posted online shows the lecturers, peacefully, but loudly, marching and chanting near parliament when the police fired teargas in an attempt to disperse them. According to media reports, police also forcibly arrested several union members.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the disproportionate use of force to disperse lecturers peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression—conduct which is expressly protected by international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Kenya is a party. While state authorities have the responsibility to maintain order and prevent disruption, they must refrain from the disproportionate use of force and endangerment of civilians. Such actions, beyond harming the immediate victim, have a chilling effect on academic freedom and undermine democratic society generally.

Sources:
https://nation.africa/kenya/news/several-university-lecturers-arrested-in-nairobi-cbd-ahead-of-planned-march-to-parliament-4772300
https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/104658-police-fire-teargas-protesting-leacturers-heading-parliament
https://www.voaafrica.com/a/kenyan-teachers-continue-strike-despite-court-ordered-halt/7763522.html
https://www.aacrao.org/edge/emergent-news/kenyan-teachers-announce-strike-after-failed-government-talks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SQ5HgHua80