University dons dig in, demand Sh7.3b more despite state payout

Grace Nyongesa UASU National Chairperson, UASU secretary general constantine wasonga,KUSU Secretary General Dr Charles Mukhwaya & Dr. Maloba Wekesa Secretary UASU UON Chapter singing solidarity song during a press briefing where they indicated on downing tools as they start countrywide strike.[Wilberforce Okwiri,Standard] The lecturers' and staff strike in universities entered its third day on Friday, paralysing lectures, disrupting exam schedules and leaving students stranded without clear academic timelines. This came despite the government's effort to resolve the 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) through the release of Sh2.7 billion to universities on Wednesday. Following the release of the funds, a section of university staff allied to Kenya Union of Domestic Hotels Educational Institutions, Hospitals & Allied Workers (KUDHEIHA) suspended their strike. However, at a press briefing on Friday, Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) leaders demanded full payment of their outstanding salaries and allowances, vowing not to resume teaching until their demands are met. "We are tired of this back-and-forth. Pay us the remaining Sh7.3 billion before we negotiate other terms and return to teaching. The amount released falls short of what is required for full implementation of earlier agreements," said UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga. The strike also involved staff under the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU). Wasonga stressed that the union would not accept any further renegotiation of the 2017-2021 CBA, even as the government released funds to universities. He said that once the previous agreements are fully settled, they will be ready to negotiate a new 2025-2029 CBA. The new pact, he noted, must address persistent discrimination in allowances across universities, chronic understaffing of lecturers, and the non-promotion of academic staff. "The 2025-2029 CBA will ensure we deliver quality services in this sector. It must address medical cover, allowances and staffing shortages," Wasonga said, underscoring the depth of frustration among staff over stalled negotiations and unpaid entitlements. Wasonga also dismissed a court order calling off the strike, saying it was the same courts that had directed full implementation of the CBA back in January 2021. "In 2021, the courts ordered the Ministry of Education, the Treasury, and IPCCF to provide additional funds for the full implementation of the CBA. Why is the court now asking us to call off the strike?" he remarked. UASU chairperson Grace Nyongesa expressed deep concern over how lecturers and university staff are sidelined in insurance cover benefits. "Our members do not have medical cover. We are contributing loyally to SHA but getting nothing in return. We will remain out of campus until our dues are fully paid," said Nyongesa. Speaking in Nyandarua, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba urged staff to demonstrate patriotism and a sense of duty to students by calling off the strike. "The Employment and Labour Relations Court had already directed lecturers to resume duties while grievances are addressed through structured negotiations. We, therefore, ask them to kindly honour that directive," said Ogamba. The CS added that the government had fulfilled its obligations under the 2017-2021 CBA by releasing Sh2.73 billion to universities.

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University dons dig in, demand Sh7.3b more despite state payout

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