Kenyan university students are staring at a bleak future as the stalemate between the government and lecturers intensifies, with dons openly defying Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba’s directive to go back to work immediately.
The lecturers’ strike has now entered its second week, further disrupting the academic calendar.
Speaking on Citizen TV on Wednesday morning, Maloba Wekesa of the UASU University of Nairobi Chapter and Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) Secretary General Charles Mukhwaya dismissed Ogamba’s order, terming it both disrespectful and uninformed.
Dr Wekesa argued that the government had consistently failed to honour long-standing agreements, making it unreasonable to expect lecturers to call off the strike on the CS’s word.
“We are law-abiding citizens, but you need to know that we are also very aware of our rights when the government wants to game us. The very act that Ogamba is running around, imagining that we can be ordered around, cannot work,” he said.
He added that Ogamba, who has only been in office for a year, should first familiarise himself with the lecturers’ grievances instead of issuing directives.
“This is an issue that has been around for more than that period; therefore, he should take his time to understand the matters herein instead of ordering us around,” he said.
Dr Wekesa further noted that lecturers had made three demands, but the government only met one the disbursement of Ksh2.5 billion.
He dismissed this as inadequate, arguing that the government still owed Ksh7.9 billion from the 2017 and 2021 CBAs, and only released part of the money owed under the 2021–2025 CBA.
“We have lecture halls, not classes. If the CS thinks we need to go back to the classes, he should go there himself. The very act of ordering lecturers back to class is impudent and an insult. You are not helping the situation but escalating the matter,” he added.
On his part, Dr Mukhwaya blamed both the Ministry of Education and university management for the current crisis, pointing out that for over seven years the government has failed to honour negotiated CBAs, leaving lecturers frustrated and demoralised.
The strike, called by the unions on September 11, followed the government’s failure to settle the arrears.
Lecturers argue that while the disbursement of Ksh2.5 billion was welcome, it represented only a fraction of the total owed and failed to address the underlying issues of salary arrears and poor working conditions.
On Tuesday, Ogamba had directed lecturers to resume duty immediately or face disciplinary action, including contempt of court charges. He reminded them that the Employment and Labour Relations Court had already suspended the strike.
The CS made the directive during a stakeholder engagement forum in Mombasa, where he urged lecturers to prioritise learners’ welfare and use dialogue to address grievances.
“Court orders are supposed to be obeyed. Otherwise, you will be in contempt, which might necessitate disciplinary action. We are asking the lecturers to go back to work,” he warned.
The Employment and Labour Relations Court, through Justice Jacob Gakeri, had certified the matter as urgent on September 18 after the Inter-Public Universities’ Councils Forum sought redress.
The court suspended the strike and directed parties to continue negotiating in good faith.
Despite this, lecturers remain defiant, insisting that no meaningful negotiations have taken place and accusing the government of dragging its feet on commitments made nearly a decade ago.
The stand-off has left thousands of students uncertain about the fate of their studies, with fears mounting that the academic calendar could suffer irreversible disruption if the impasse persists.
