UNIVERSITY PART-TIME LECTURER’S UNION AND SUSTAINABLE UNIVERSITY EDUCATION AND SOCIETAL EMPOWERMENT

Abstract

Part time lecturers popularly known as associate faculty are the backbone of the university teaching and research, but also misused and abused by most private and public uiversities in Kenya. The problem is since there is no union covering them and to struggle for their benefits and welfare, they are unable to complain or take legal action against the university management council/boards. The objective of the study is to investigate why the part-time lecturers do not have their own union like their counterparts’ full time lecturers in public universities, for sustainable university education and the societal empowerment. The paper adopts analytical method through document analysis. The key results include one, if the union will be started and registered, it will cater for the welfare of part time lecturers; two, there are three categories of part time lecturers as part-time unemployed lecturers, part time employed lecturers in other organizations apart from universities, part time lecturers employed in universities as full time lecturers, therefore, the two latter categories are the ones who would not cooperative and fail to register in the organization because of fear of victimization by their employers. It is concluded, if the union will be registered, many part time lectures will join and it will be powerful, since part time are many than full time lecturers in universities. the university managements in universities take long duration, more than one year to pay the unemployed part time lecturers and as a consequence become unable to start and register a union. It is recommended unemployed part time lecturers to unite and register their union in the registrar of companies and association, because “United they will stand and become powerful and exploit their academic achievements in universities”.