This archive report was first published on 13 January 2020.
Published on January 13, 2020
More than 9,000 lecturers have warned that they will boycott work in a week's time to press for higher pay, which would throw public universities into a crisis.
The lecturers, represented by the Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu), are pushing for the implementation of the 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement that they signed with the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum.
The deal, which also involved the Kenya Universities Staff Union (Kusu) and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Education Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (Kudheiha), was valued at Sh13.8 billion by the lecturers, but the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) put the figure at Sh8.8 billion.
After a furious debate, the lecturers and other university workers agreed to go with the SRC position, but it later emerged that even the Sh8.8 billion was not factored into this year's budget.
The lecturers have vowed to boycott work from January 20, citing the government's contempt for their demands and the failure to honour its own signature on the deal.
Education ministry chiefs must do all they can to forestall the strike, which could cost universities greatly in terms of time and resources lost and reputation on the national and global stage.
An urgent meeting of all those involved in the deal, including top ministry officials, must be convened to resolve the stalemate.
