UASU has officially begun its strike at TUK following the expiry of a 7-day ultimatum that started on August 26. The strike follows from demands not met in the implementation of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement, CBA increment of salaries, and several other very important issues affecting university staff.
Demands and Reasons for Strike
Members of UASU agitated for several demands, chief among them was the implementation of the 2021-2025 CBA in which there is a long-overdue salary increment. The union is also demanding the immediate payment of outstanding salaries and remitting statutory and third-party deductions. These include bank loans, sacco loans, insurance premiums, NSSF and NHIF, and AHL subscriptions withheld.
The other major issue is the alleged “virtually insolvent” state of the Staff Retirement and Benefits Scheme. The union is demanding an investigation of the fund status to ensure university staff can have their retirement benefits secured.
UASU’s Stand on the Strike
Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga has warned that all these issues have to be comprehensively addressed before the strike is called off. A meeting of the NEC passed a resolution for lecturers to down their tools and fail to report to work until the demands are met.
Wasonga has also underlined the call with accounts of a dire situation that faces university staff as a result of dysfunctional medical schemes at many public universities. The failure to remit NHIF deductions compounded the problem, leaving many lecturers with no access to essential healthcare services. This is a factor, combined with salary cuts-such as a 35 percent slice taken from July pay at the Technical University of Kenya-that has re-increased the financial squeeze on academic staff.
Impact of Strike and Greater Context
The strike by UASU comes amid an ongoing strike by secondary school teachers that has entered its second week. So far, the strike by the teachers has seen several public schools closed down, with learning coming to a standstill for thousands of students. Now, university lecturers have also downed their tools, throwing the entire education sector in Kenya into a full-blown crisis.
The strike by UASU is likely to paralyze academic activities, affect thousands of students, and delay the academic calendar. The situation in the education sector mirrors wider problems faced by public institutions across Kenya, as financial mismanagement and underfunding, coupled with a failure to honour contractual obligations, continue to spark industrial unrest.