Public universities are staring at a crisis after the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) issued a seven-day strike notice on Friday, August 20.
UASU officials threatened to mobilise the body's members to down their tools over what they termed as the government failure to implement the 2017 - 2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The union's chairperson, Grace Nyongesa, accused public universities' Vice Chancellors of deliberately refusing to honour the CBA despite court orders directing them to do so.
“We take great exception in the manner in which we have been handled, we take great exception in the manner in which the Vice Chancellors, who know what they should do, have deliberately ignored and failed to execute their mandate in regard to what they should do," stated Nyongesa.
“Our CBA 2021 has not been fully implemented, yet the dons of this country have continued to deliver their services.”
The outspoken union chair also complained that some of their chapter leaders from across the country were facing intimidation and threats at their places of work.
“We cannot continue being treated with a lot of contempt. That when the UASU chapter secretaries raise concerns, they are threatened,” she added.
On his part, UASU national Secretary General, Constantine Wasonga, said that learning in all public universities will be paralysed until the CBA in contention is implemented to the letter.
He noted that the union had won a case against the government at the Employment and Labour Relations Court in January with universities being directed to implement the CBA fully.
“On 15th January, 2021, the Employment and Labour Relations Court ruled that the 2017/2021 CBA be implemented as negotiated,” he stated.
“We are not going to be slaves any more. If you want learning to continue or to go on in public universities, implement the 2017-2021 CBA in totality. We shall not have any learning in our public institutions in the next seven days.”
This strike notice comes days after the Kenya University and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) announced placement of the 2020 KCSE candidates to institutions on higher learning.
