Lecturers and other workers in public universities will be paid salary increment arrears for October and November together with their December salaries after their unions signed an agreement with the government.
This will be the first phase (Sh4.3 billion) of the Sh9.7 billion deal that ended a nationwide strike that grounded learning in public universities for more than a month.
Details of the payment were worked out by a technical committee comprising government representatives and the Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu), Kenya Universities Staff Union (Kusu) and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions and Hospital Workers (KUDHEIHA). They met from November 27 to December 3 2024 at Machakos University.
The payments constitute implementation of the 2021–2025 collective bargaining agreement. Arrears from July 2023 to September 2024 will be paid in two equal tranches in the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 financial years.
In the documents, seen by Nation, lecturers and non-academic staff at the University of Nairobi will take the biggest share of the total amount (Sh1,492,792,804) while those at the Open University of Kenya will receive the lowest allocation at Sh2,161,206.
“The committee discussed and agreed on the following parameters that guided the verification of data and allocation of funds: budget allocation of Sh9.7 billion, 7 per cent basic salary increments for grades 13–15, 10 per cent salary increment for grades 1 – 12 and automatic annual increments and alignment of payroll with the submitted summary data template,” reads the report of the implementation committee.
Graduate and research assistants start at job grade 10. The current montly minimum entry basic salary is Sh57,729 and a maximum of Sh82,552. However, in the new agreement, they will have a monthly minimum basic pay of Sh63,647 and a maximum of Sh97,988.
A professor or research professor is the higher level in the academic ranks and currently starts with a minimum basic pay of Sh209,694 while the maximum is Sh283,087. Under the new plan, these will rise to Sh224,631 and 345,816, respectively.
In addition to the basic salary, lecturers are also entitled to a house allowance that is paid based on individual’s job group. It ranges from Sh35,383 to Sh73,715.
The unions will also gain from the deal since their members pay union dues while those who benefit from the deals they strike pay agency fees monthly.
“Each individual university and or their constituent university college shall deduct union dues or agency fees at the rate of 2 percent of basic salary per month and deposit to the respective gazetted union account for the respective union in full including payable arrears,” the report of the committee reads.
It tasked the local chapters of the unions with the responsibility of monitoring the implementation of the CBA, including correct placement in job grades and utilisation of funds allocated.
The unions and the government also mutually agreed that the retirement age for all academic members of staff shall be harmonised and set as follows: 70 years for a graduate assistant, tutorial fellow, and assistant lecturers. Lecturers, senior lecturers, associate professors and professors will now retire at 74 years.
Moi University was most affected by the industrial action. Even after lecturers in other universities resumed teaching, they remained on strike until the unions and the cabinet secretary for Education Julius Ogamba intervened last weekend.
