Embakasi
East MP Babu Owino has called on the government to immediately honor the collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) signed with lecturers to
end the nationwide strike.
He said
the government also needs to ring-fence education funding transparently and
move from ad hoc to predictable financing.
“Education
is not a political token. It is a right and Kenya’s backbone. Systemic funding
is not optional; it is urgent,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
He
appealed for immediate intervention to safeguard the future of students,
describing the current crisis as avoidable.
“Let’s
build a great future for all Kenyans.”
The strike
has entered its third week, paralysing learning in universities, disrupting
research, and leaving thousands of students stranded.
Owino
termed the crisis “one of the worst in years”.
At the
heart of the dispute, Owino said, is chronic underfunding of public
universities and delayed payment of arrears owed to lecturers.
“The
Government owes Sh7.9 billion from the 2017–2021 CBA and Sh2.73 billion from
phase II of the 2021–2025 CBA,”
he stated.
While
acknowledging that the Treasury recently released Sh2.5 billion, the MP argued
that the partial disbursement was insufficient to address the lecturers’
demands or the disruption already caused.
“Despite
releasing Sh2.5 billion, the damage is done. Students risk losing a semester,
research stalled, graduations delayed, and dreams postponed,” he warned.
The strike
has affected more than 500,000 students across public universities,
according to Owino, with ripple effects on academic calendars, research
projects, and postgraduate work.
The
legislator criticised what he described as misplaced government priorities,
saying education remains neglected.
He further
warned that continued neglect of higher education funding was eroding public
trust and fuelling brain drain, as students and professionals seek
opportunities abroad.
The
strike, called by the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) in mid-September, follows stalled negotiations over the implementation of CBAs signed with the government.
University
administrations have warned that prolonged industrial action could disrupt the
entire financial year’s academic calendar.
Earlier in
the day, UASU National Chairperson Grace Nyongesa said no negotiations were
currently underway with university management or the government.
“We shall
remain outside until the issues raised are addressed. There are no negotiations
currently underway,” she said.
“We do not
want the trend of negotiating CBAs at the end of the cycle. The 2021–2025 CBA
must be implemented in full, and the 2025–2029 CBA then negotiated immediately.
We are tired of pursuing our money years later and losing value. If this is not
fully implemented, the strike will continue.”
As the
situation escalates, a section of students has also threatened to go on strike
if the government does not resolve the lecturer’s strike.
Last week,
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba warned striking lecturers that they
risk disciplinary action, saying they are in contempt of a court order
requiring them to resume classes.
