Several universities have closed indefinitely as the lecturers strike entered its 23rd day.
The National Treasury yesterday released Sh5.3 billion for lecturers salaries and non-teaching staff,.
Varsities that have closed include University of Nairobi,
Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenyatta University and Laikipia University.
Pwani University became the latest to send students home over the dons' strike.
Vice chancellor Prof M.S Rajab told students in a memo to leave the institution by Friday, November 24, at 5pm latest.
Lecturers in 31 public universities have demanded the implementation of the 2013-2017 CBA.
It will cost the government Sh5.2 billion to cater for arrears that have been pending since June.
Speaking to the Star yesterday, Universities Academic Staff Union secretary general Constantine Wasonga said the strike is far from over as the government has not shown the willingness to resolve the matter.
Should the strike persist, more public universities will follow suit in the coming weeks.
Wasonga said negotiations between the union and the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum collapsed after the forum asked lecturers to suspend there strike to allow the institutions to secure funds to implement new salaries according to the CBA scales.
“No teaching and learning is going on in public universities. The government does not seem to be ready to address the issue. Even worse Education CS Fred Matiang’i is adding fuel to the fire by ordering the employment of academic staff on contract terms,” Wasonga said.
The National Assembly was yet to respond to a petition presented to Parliament.
However, PS State Department for University Education Collette Suda told the Star on the phone yesterday, the government is working on the problem.
“We are in talks with the National Treasury. We need Sh5.2 billion for the increase. We hope that we will be addressed it in a supplementary budget,” she said.
Nominated MP Wilson Sossion, who is also the Knut secretary general Wilson Sossion, said he will push for the petition to be a priority.
“I’ll champion for the petition when we resume on Tuesday,” Sossion said.