Strike to take longer as Amina orders head count of staff

Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed accompanied by Higher learning Principal Secretary Micheni Ntiba addressing journalists at Meru university on March 6, 2018. [Photo by Darlington Manyara/Standard]

The Government has ordered an audit of all workers currently employed by public universities.

Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed also announced that public universities would undergo financial audit, to establish how the institutions spend money allocated to them annually.

The CS yesterday denied reports that the ministry had tabled a counter offer to the university workers’ unions, saying this will be done after a thorough head count is completed and input from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) factored in.

“The Sh6.8 billion is not a Government offer. I heard it from the vice chancellors. The Government has not offered anything yet,” said Amina.

The CS spoke yesterday when she appeared before National Assembly Education Committee chaired by Tinderet MP Julius Melly.

The meeting was chaired by Vihiga MP, Malulu Injendi, who is the National Assembly sub-committee chair on university education.

The committee proposed that the Education ministry, Treasury, vice chancellors, university workers’ unions and SRC be represented in pay talks to reduce negotiation time.

The committee wanted to know what is being done to prevent future strikes and whether the four-year Collective Bargaining Agreement cycle can be revised.