Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) Secretary-General Charles
Mukhwaya has accused the government of insincerity in handling the
ongoing lecturers’ strike, saying no meaningful dialogue has taken place to
resolve the stalemate.
Speaking on Tuesday, Mukhwaya said the Ministry of Education and the
Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) have failed to engage union leaders
directly, despite public assurances that talks were underway.
“We need to sit with all the stakeholders involved in this matter,” he said.
“SRC and the Vice Chancellors will only tell the government what they would
like them to hear. But for us, we have not been called by the CS or the PS.”
The strike, now in its fourth week, has paralysed learning
in all public universities, forcing students to go home and prompting protests
across campuses.
Mukhwaya dismissed claims by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius
Ogamba that negotiations were ongoing and nearing a conclusion.
“Nothing is going to come out. We are where we started. The strike has just
begun,” he asserted.
At the heart of the dispute is the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining
Agreement (CBA), which the unions say has not been fully implemented.
KUSU and other university staff unions argue that the government owes
lecturers Sh7.9 billion in unpaid arrears, while the SRC
insists the figure is much lower being Sh600 million.
“Regardless of any meetings or audits, the figures never lie. We will still
come back to the Sh7.9 billion. So who is wrong? It cannot be us,” Mukhwana
said.
His remarks come after Principal Secretary for Higher Education
Beatrice Inyangala said the Ministry will rely on SRC’s directive in
determining the final settlement.
On Monday, Ogamba said the strike is
set to end, adding that the government and the University Academic Staff Union
(UASU) are nearing a deal that will end the standoff.
"We met with the University
union over the weekend in Machakos to work out the issues of the 2017-2021 CBA,
and they also have another team that is negotiating the 2025-2029 cycle,"
Ogamba said.
"We are hoping that they will
make a report today to determine how much money is outstanding, and then we
will give the way forward. The university lecturers were demanding Sh7.9
billion, but the SRC has said that it has paid Sh7.2 billion, meaning that the
balance is a balance of Ksh624 million," he added.
The stalemate has left thousands of university students stranded, with
academic calendars disrupted across public universities.
Many have run out of upkeep money and accommodation funds, while others fear
their graduation timelines will be pushed further.
On Tuesday, students at the University of Nairobi staged
protests, demanding the government and unions resolve the dispute.
This latest impasse underscores a long-running cycle of industrial action in
the country’s higher education system, often linked to delayed or partial
implementation of CBAs.
The 2017–2021 CBA was meant to improve pay and allowances
for academic and non-teaching staff.
However, its implementation has been marred by budgetary shortfalls and
disputes over the actual figures involved.
Previous strikes, including those in 2017, 2018 and 2021, similarly forced
closures of campuses and disrupted examinations.
As the stalemate continues, both sides appear to be digging in. For students and staff alike, the uncertainty lingers.
