Talks to avert a countrywide strike by university lecturers and non-teaching staff have collapsed, paving the way for industrial action slated to start at midnight. The strike by Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu) and Kenya Universities Staff Union (Kusu) follows the failure by the government to negotiate with them on salary increments and improved working conditions.
Background of the Strike
Uasu and Kusu had issued a strike notice on September 11, 2023, to demand improved terms for university staff, who have seen their salaries stagnated against the ever-increasing cost of living. Attempts by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba to mediate the dispute in a meeting that took place on September 16 realized no deal.
Kusu Secretary-General Charles Mukhwaya expressed frustrations of the unions, saying:
“We couldn’t do whatever the CS and his team requested. It’s not feasible to continue earning the same in an environment where everything has gone up and our purchasing power eroded.”
His opposite number, Uasu Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga, echoed this view, underscoring how the unions were ready for a protracted boycott:“We don’t eat promises or promissory notes. We are not bothered whether this will take some years. If they come with promises, we will reject them. What we want is something concrete.”
Strike Set to Begin Despite Government Appeals
The meeting, which was held at Jogoo House and attended by key stakeholders such as Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala, university vice-chancellors, and union officials, concluded with no solution found. They declined the government’s call for the unions to call off the strike and give it time to address their issues but instead wanted a Collective Bargaining Agreement signed at midnight.
At the center of this strike is the 2021/25 CBA, which the lecturers had been waiting for three years to negotiate. In September 2020, the unions tabled their proposal in front of the employers, who did not give a counter-offer until 2023 and even then made a nil-offer. Uasu and Kusu have since demanded that the government provide their members with a minimum salary increment consistent with the adjustments given to other public sector workers.
Government Offer and Union’s Rejection
At the negotiating table, the unions insisted that their members be granted 7 to 10 percent salary increment on basic pay, similar to what other government workers were awarded last year. Mr. Ogamba, for the government, offered a 3.5 percent increment across the board, which the union declined. Uasu Organising Secretary Onesmus Mutio said history was ripe with CBAs that were never effected without strike action.
The unions have warned that they are ready for strikes more than once:
“History shows no CBA has been fulfilled without a strike. We’ll have to go on three strikes; to negotiate the CBA, to register it in court, and another one to implement it.”
Salary Demands and Current Pay Scale
During the 2020 CBA proposal, Uasu insisted that the lowest-paid lecturer-graduate assistant or tutorial fellow-should earn a monthly basic salary of Sh99,650, while the highest-paid professor would take home Sh 338,146. The current basic salary for the lowest lecturer is Sh57,729 and Sh209,694 for the highest, excluding allowances.
The unions argue that the financial pressure on university staff has become unbearable, adding that only a meaningful increase will restore dignity in their profession.
What’s Next?
It plans to hold the national launch of the strike today at the Technical University of Kenya, with a mega-demonstration set for Monday in Nairobi. About 35 public universities and three university constituent colleges are expected to be heavily hit by the industrial action.
As university staff prepare for strike action, the government has the uphill task of trying to resolve the dispute while ensuring minimal disruption in the education sector. For now, everything is set for a standoff between the unions and the government, with no immediate solution in sight.