This archive report was first published on 28 August 2021.
Kenya's public universities are on the brink of a strike, but the government is urging the Universities Academic Staff Union to give dialogue a chance to resolve the issue.
University Education and Research Principal Secretary Amb Simon Nabukwesi made the appeal during the handing over ceremony of a renovated hall at the Technical University of Mombasa in Mombasa county on August 28, 2021.
He assured UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga that the government is ready to engage with them in a consultative meeting to address their concerns.
Nabukwesi argued that the purported strike is not healthy to the country and cautioned that it will ruin the standard of education for youths.
“The country is still struggling with measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic for the second year,” he said.
He noted that education and learning were disrupted after the outbreak of the pandemic, which the world has yet to come to terms with.
Nabukwesi said that out of the amount signed in the 2017-2022 collective bargaining agreement, the government has been able to disburse a down payment of Sh 6.6 billion.
He assured the lecturers that the remaining amount in the CBA is Sh 2.2 billion, which has been factored in this year’s budgetary allocation.
“There is no cause for alarm as the pending amount will be released soon and it is already in the pipeline,” he assured the lecturers.
Nabukwesi said the delay is due to the challenges the country is facing due to the outbreak of the deadly disease.
He assured the union officials that nothing will be lost as they will exhaust all avenues until they are paid.
The impediment over the Sh 8.8 billion salary deal is of great concern to the government after the seven-day strike notice was issued.
Nabukwesi asked the public university councils to hold their horses and not withdraw their services at the learning institutions until an amicable solution is reached to end the deadlock.
