University Academic Staff Union Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga and other officials address the media at the Bunge Tower Nairobi on November 12, 2024.
Students in public universities will wait longer before going back to class as lecturers on Thursday maintained that the strike is still on despite the government offer of Sh4.3 billion to partially implement their contested collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
In a meeting convened by Education Committee of the National Assembly with University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) officials, principal secretary for Higher Education and Research, Beatrice Inyangala and an Inter-Ministerial Committee handling the lecturers’ strike, the government said it has secured Sh4.3 billion from the National Treasury to implement the CBA.
However, Uasu maintained that the cost of the CBA is Sh9.7 billion and not the Sh4.3 billion offered by the government.
Dr Inyangala told the committee chaired by Julius Melly that despite the harsh economic times, they managed to get the money urging the lecturers to accept it. She said the Sh4.3 billion was arrived at after a simulation with the university technical team and some of the union officials.
The principal secretary for Labour Shadrack Mwadime said they had to push the National Treasury to release the Sh4.3 billion since the budget for the 2024 – 2025 Financial Year of 2024/25 had already been done.
"The reality is, our economy is not doing well, even this Sh4.3 billion, we really pushed the Treasury to get it because we wanted our lecturers to go back to class," Mr Mwadime told the committee.
However, USAU secretary-general Constantine Wasonga said while they will take the sh4.3 billion offered by the government, the strike will continue until there is a clear road map on how the remaining balance of Sh5.6 billion will be settled.
"The strike is still on until lecturers see the money in their accounts," Prof Wasonga said.
Dr Wasonga said without a clear strategy on how the balance will be paid, the strike is still on.
"They have said they are giving Sh4.3 billion but they have not told us how we will get the balance, I will only call off the strike if we get a commitment in writing on how the remaining amount will be paid," Prof Wasonga said.
Prof Wasonga maintained their CBA with the government is Sh9.7 billion and they simulated clearly how the amount was arrived at.
While accepting the Sh4.3 billion, Prof Wasonga said they expect the remaining balance to be settled in two tranches in the 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years in equal amounts.
"We accept the sh4.3 billion with a commitment that in the two financial years, the balance, the money will be paid in equal amounts," Prof Wasonga said.
The committee chairman said they have made positive progress and directed the government to go and negotiate in good faith on how the balance will be paid.
"We have made progress today, UASU has accepted the available Sh4.3 billion, it's now the government to go and negotiate with the union on how the balance and other technicalities will be paid," Mr Melly said.
"Our work as a committee is to act as a neutral arbiter to find a solution because our children are suffering and need to go back to class and they are looking at us for a solution," he added.
In a letter dated November 12, 2024, National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi to the PS higher education, the CS said the government has reviewed the request on the need to provide resources to implement the UASU collective bargaining agreement.
“In the foregoing, the state department is considered for additional funding amounting to Sh4.3 billion in the context of the financial year, 2024/2025 supplementary estimates to cater for the implementation of the 2021-2025 CBA,” Mr Mbadi said.
The CS however told the higher education department to seek advice from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) on the implementation of the pay structure.
The return-to-work formula was signed in September 2024 after a sustained strike by the lecturers.
The lawmakers directed Dr Inyangala to negotiate with the union in good faith and spell out clearly how the remaining Sh5.6 billion would be settled.
