By Daniel Odongo and Faith Anene, Kakamega
Striking university lecturers have vowed that they will not go back to class until their grievances are fully addressed by the government.
The dons and varsity staff downed their tools of work on Wednesday, paralyzing learning in all public universities across the country.
The lecturers under the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) took to the streets after the government failed to honor the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
According Uasu Secretary General Constantine Wasonga, their grievances range from delayed salaries, low wages, non-remittance of statutory deductions to the relevant agencies like KRA, NSSF and NHIF among others.
Wasonga also accused the government for failing to provide a compressive medical cover for them like other civil servants.
“We have been taken for granted for a very long time, to the extent that we are being paid our salaries late and our remittances are not being submitted and our pension schemes have collapsed,” said Mr Wasonga
“That parties to continue negotiating with a view to resolving the disputed issues consensually,” ~ Justice Gakeri
Dr Charles Mukhwaya said: “If there is no money, the 7-10 per cent salary increment that was given to our fellow civil servants, must also percolate to the universities,”
The Employment and Labour Relations Judge Jacob Gakeri has ordered the dons back to class after he suspended the strike.
“That in the meantime, the respondent (Uasu) is temporarily restrained from calling, instigating, or inciting others to take part in any strike or other form of industrial action,” ordered Justice Gakeri, adding, “That parties to continue negotiating with a view to resolving the disputed issues consensually,”
The petition was filed by the Inter – Public Universities Council’s Consultative Forum of the Federation of Kenya Employers.
The University Unions and the Ministry of Education were given seven days to respond to the application. The matter will be mentioned on October 2 for further directions.
Mmust lecturers and university staff in the street of Kakamega
Meanwhile, at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (Mmust), lecturers took to Kakamega streets in solidarity with their colleagues countrywide.
Dr Philip Amuyunzu, the Uasu Mmust Chapter Organizing Secretary said: “The union through the national office raised an alarm giving the government an ample opportunity to listen to their grievances but refused to act. The volcano has erupted and this eruption can only be quenched by increment of salary and nothing more, unless you do so it means all universities are under complete shutdown,”
According to David Khamala, the Mmust Kusu Chapter Chairperson said called for a fair and transparent process when dealing with the issue of salary increment for public servants.
He demanded that the staff of staff working at the university must be increased given that ‘university workers are also taxpayers’ but they were yet to receive any salary increment as other civil servants.
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