The Employment and Labour Relations Court in Kisii ordered Maasai Mara University to pay a total of Ksh10.19 million to 19 former part‑time lecturers for unpaid remuneration dating from 2014 to 2016.

Justice Nzioki wa Makau found the university had breached the lecturers’ constitutional right to fair administrative action after repeatedly delaying payment despite investigations by the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ).

The lecturers had been employed at the university’s now‑closed Kisii and Kilgoris campuses and lodged complaints over unpaid wages, prompting a CAJ investigation in 2019.

CAJ’s findings indicated the university unreasonably delayed settlement and directed it to pay the claims within 12 months and submit a payment plan within 60 days.

Although the university later acknowledged that about 80 % of the claims were verified, it continued to withhold payment, arguing insufficient documentation from the lecturers.

The court rejected the university’s shifting defenses, noting repeated changes in position and citing budget constraints, and ordered full payment with interest at court rates from the judgment date.

Individual awards ranged from Ksh78,000 to over Ksh1.6 million, reflecting the amount of work performed at each campus.

The university was also ordered to cover the court costs, while a separate claim against the National Assembly was dismissed for lacking statutory trigger.