University of Nairobi lecturers have announced the withdrawal of services to self-sponsored students over debt amounting to Sh1.3 billion.
A statement from Chapter secretary George Omondi on Wednesday states that the academic staff is owed a huge amount of money for services offered in self-sponsored programmes.
Omondi said that lecturers have been offering their services diligently for many years in spite of not being paid.
He added that the union has repeatedly written to the varsity management requesting to find the solution to the pending debt but no action has been taken.
“The last such communication was on October 5, 2020, in which the union clearly indicated that management urgently pays academic staff the monies owed to them for services rendered to self-sponsored students before October 13, 2020,” the statement reads.
It continued, “Failure to which affected staff would exercise their constitutional right to withhold services to the said students until they are paid.”
The secretary added that the Chapter Executive Committee has been left with no other option but to instruct the affected staff to start strike immediately.
He said the staff will only resume their services after the owed amount is paid in full.
This comes as the University Academic Staff Union plans to start its strike over unpaid allowances.
Uasu secretary general Constantine Wasonga had said that clinical allowances had been withdrawn and only a few members had been paid their dues.
Uasu strike has been supported by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists’ Union (KMPDU).
Late last year, the university disbanded its department responsible for handling self-sponsored learners.
The decision by the university council has met a cold shoulder as two factions—one in support and the other one against—the directive emerged.
Undertones indicate the opposition follows the move to strip off the unit power to handle funds from the self-sponsored students.
