Moi University lecturers have threatened to escalate the ongoing strike to the streets if their demands are not honoured by the government.
The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) officials at the university led by Secretary Busolo Wegesa said the government is dragging its feet in responding to their demands, yet all operations at the university had stalled.
Busolo said students had been exposed to suffering and the negative impacts of the strike, yet the Ministry of Education was taking the situation lightly.
The dons nationally are demanding payment of Sh7.9 billion arrears arising from failed previous CBA agreements.
Busolo said they would not resume work until all their grievances, including the payment of the money are done.
He was with other union officials, including branch chairman Richard Okero and Mary Chepkwemoi who is secretary of the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU).
“This time, we have said we must clear every pending issue with the government before we go back to class. We do not want to go back on strike again after this,” Okero said.
Okero said they are also insisting that they must complete negotiations for the new CBA covering the 2025-2029 period before they agree to go back to work.
“We are also parents and we are seeing the suffering which our learners are going through, and that’s why we want to deal with this issue once and for all so that we go back to class and recover lost time,” Okero said.
Okero faulted the university management for telling students to report back for lessons, yet the strike had not been called off.
“The students should only listen to what the union says because the university managements have no mandate to call off the strike,” Okero said.
Chepkwemoi said they would remain on strike for as long as the government continues to delay in dealing with their demands.
Busolo said they would take to the streets soon to carry out protests in a bid to push the government to address their demands.
He said they had been on strike for the last five weeks, and they would still boycott work until their issues are resolved.
He said the government had failed to honour deals signed through the 2017-2020 and 2021-2025 periods, causing heavy financial arrears.
“We are asking for money which belongs to us. Lecturers are now the most mistreated public servants, yet we are also parents with heavy responsibilities which we can not honour,” Busolo said.
He said the lecturers are retiring and dying due to suffering without pensions and other benefits.
“The only this we know how to do is to teach, but we have learned how to strike and we are striking very hard until we get our rights,” Busolo said.
