University Staff Turn Down Govt’s Ksh7.9B Deal, Vow to Stay on Strike
Lecturers and non-teaching staff have rejected the government’s latest proposal to end their strike, saying they will not go back to class until all their arrears are paid and a new CBA is signed.
The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) has dismissed the government’s plan to clear Ksh7.9 billion in salary arrears in two phases as insufficient after years of broken promises.
Speaking in Nairobi, UASU Secretary General Constantine Wesonga said both the National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Delegates Conference (NDC) had voted unanimously to reject the proposal.
“The Ksh7.9 billion must be paid once and for all. Lecturers don’t deliver knowledge in phases; no one should ever think they can pay their arrears in phases,” Wesonga said.
He accused the government of not honouring previous agreements and warned that universities still owe staff four months in unpaid salaries.
“The 2025-2029 CBA must be negotiated, registered and implemented in full before we go back to class. We have four months arrears that must be paid before we can go back,” he added.
UASU has instructed all its 38 university chapters to maintain the strike until their demands are met. This is a reversal of earlier indication that the unions were ready to resume duties after the government proposed to clear arrears in instalments.
Wesonga said the rejection was after emergency meetings held overnight and on Friday morning. “NEC met last night and rejected the offer. NDC met this morning and agreed we cannot accept a deal that does not settle all our arrears at once,” he said.
The strike has paralysed learning in public universities for weeks and has left thousands of students stranded. The government had hoped a phased payment plan would end the impasse but UASU’s decision has prolonged the crisis and the reopening of institutions is now uncertain.
Also Read: Power, Food Prices Increase; Inflation Unchanged, KNBS Reports
University Staff Turn Down Govt’s Ksh7.9B Deal, Vow to Stay on Strike