Striking Moi University UASU members at the institution on November 8, 2024.
Students in public universities will go without being taught for much longer after a meeting convened by the Committee on Education of the National Assembly to resolve the lecturers’ strike ended in disarray—for the second time—after the Inter-Public Universities Councils’ Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) failed to table evidence that the government has allocated money to pay the dons.
When the employer appeared before the MPs on November 5 alongside the Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu), the employer had been asked to provide proof that the government had Sh4.3 billion to pay the lecturers.
However, no such document was produced yesterday by either the Ministry of Education or the National Treasury.
The chair of the committee, Tinderet MP Julius Melly adjourned the meeting after the chair of the IPUCCF, Prof Fred Simiyu Barasa, failed to provide documentary evidence that the government had allocated Sh4.3 billion to pay the lecturers. Prof Barasa is also the vice-chancellor of Taita Taveta University.
He was accompanied by Prof Daniel Mugendi, who is the secretary of IPUCCF and vice chancellor of the University of Embu.
Mr Melly said a meeting without representation of the National Treasury and Education ministry to give commitment on the money would not resolve the matter. The MPs had a heated exchange with Mr Melly, insisting there was no need of proceeding with deliberations when the IPUCCF had not proved that it had the money to pay the lecturers.
Mr Melly said that the matter will be raised on Thursday when the committee meets the leadership of the two ministries.
“Where’s evidence of the money. It must be in good faith. IPUCCF is an agency of the government and when going to negotiations, an agency is always given approval and it can’t be verbal,” said Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera.
Uasu insists that their simulations on the lecturers’ benefits will cost Sh9.7 billion while the IPUCCF gives a figure of Sh4.3 billion. However, the employer has failed to show commitment of an allocation of the cash. The meeting ended even before the representatives of Uasu presented their case.
Addressing a press briefing after the meeting, Uasu national secretary-general Dr Constantine Wasonga said that the lecturers will not resume work until their demands are met. The bone of contention has been implementation of a return-to-work formula Uasu signed with the IPUCCF on September 26.
“Respectfully, a hungry lecturer can’t teach. A demoralised lecturer can’t teach. You cannot tell me that you value the student more than the lecturer. The world is not ending today and we’ll teach them, but we’ll teach them when we’re mentally stable,” Dr Wasonga said.
He added that the lecturers are willing to take the Sh4.3 billion offered even as the government budgets to pay them the balance of Sh5.4 billion.
One document tabled by Prof Barasa is a letter dated November 6 by Higher Education PS Beatrice Inyangala to the National Treasury requesting for resource allocation of Sh4.3 billion.
There is no corresponding response to the request. He also tabled a copy of an unsigned collective bargaining agreement (CBA) dated October 30, 2024.
At the press briefing, Dr Wasonga disowned the document and accused the IPUCCF of coming up with its own CBA instead of the negotiated one between the two parties.
“Our CBA is Sh9.7 billion and should not be mistaken. It’s the basic salary only. Basic pay was a stop-gap measure. We’re surprised IPUCCF developed their own CBA. A CBA is supposed to be developed by both parties. The strike continues. Let nobody threaten you,” Dr Wasonga said.
