The ongoing lecturers' strike that has paralysed learning in public universities for nearly a month now will end this week, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has revealed.
Ogamba, while addressing the media on Monday, said the government and the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) are nearing a deal that will end the standoff. According to Ogamba, a delegation from the ministry has held engagement with the lecturer's union to deliberate on how the 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) will be honoured in a way that favours each party.
In addition, the two sides have nearly agreed on the 2025-2029 CBA.
Following the engagements, Ogamba confirmed that the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) has agreed to pay Ksh7.2 billion to the lecturers, which is against their demand of Ksh7.9 billion.
"We met with the University union over the weekend in Machakos to work out the issues of the 2017-2021 CBA, and they also have another team that is negotiating the 2025-2029 cycle," Ogamba said.
"We are hoping that they will make a report today to determine how much money is outstanding, and then we will give the way forward. The university lecturers were demanding Ksh7.9 billion, but the SRC has said that it has paid Ksh7.2 billion, meaning that the balance is a balance of Ksh624 million," he added.
The lecturers' strike, which kicked off on September 17, has paralysed learning in public universities for weeks. Students' unions in several universities have threatened to join the dons if the government fails to act quickly.
Some of the lecturers’ grievances include the government’s reluctance to implement automatic annual salary increments, remit statutory deductions, provide medical insurance and pension schemes for staff, and address long-standing welfare concerns that have plagued public universities for years.
In a statement on Wednesday, October 9, the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary General, Constantine Wesonga, accused the SRC of interfering directly in collective bargaining.
Wesonga criticised the commission for limiting salary proposals to Ksh3 billion over four years, describing the amount as too little to cater to all the university workers across the country.
''As per labour conventions, we are supposed to negotiate with our employer. However, SRC is supposed to give its advisory, but the way they are giving that advisory, it seems they do not allow workers to negotiate with their employer,'' Wesonga said.
''If they (SRC) want, they can come and negotiate with us. How can you give Ksh3 billion for four years? How is that supposed to be shared among all three unions?'' he added.
