Uasu in new push for payment of salary arrears for Egerton dons

The national leadership of the Universities’ Academic Staff Union (Uasu) has come up with a new plan to force the management of the cash-strapped Egerton University to pay lecturers their full salaries.

In its latest strategy, the national executive has threatened to mobilise more than 30 branches across the country to hold demonstrations at Egerton University if the university management fails to pay lecturers at the Njoro campus their full salaries by the end of the first week of August.

The university management cut lecturers' salaries by 40 per cent and they've been paying 60 per cent since December 2021.

Some of the lecturers are owed more than Sh2 million each in arrears and some have died, while others have retired and are still waiting to be paid their outstanding dues.

“Egerton University is a classic example of bad leadership. While all public universities were affected by pandemics, it’s only the Njoro campus that is still underpaying its lecturers,” said a senior lecturer.

She added: “I have seen some of my colleagues slump into depression and die while others are undergoing serious financial turbulence that will take years to recover as they earn half salaries.” 

The new push by Uasu comes as a court has ordered the university's management to pay the lecturers their full salaries by July 14.

Reinstatement of full salaries

The university has in the past invited the Egerton branch of the Uasu to a meeting to discuss the reinstatement of full salaries, but to no avail.

The last meeting was scheduled for May 23, but the union said the matter had already been decided by the court.

“The union seeks a structured engagement in the payment of the differed salaries including the arrears resulting from non-compliance of the court order requiring salaries to be paid at 100 per cent,” said Egerton Uasu Chapter secretary Grace Kibue.

At a special national executive meeting held on June 30, Uasu resolved that if Egerton did not pay its members their full salaries, it would take its demand to the doorstep of the Vice Chancellor, Prof Isaac Ongubo Kibwage.

“The next national executive shall purposefully and directly be held at Egerton University and shall include all Chapter Uasu members,” read a communique from Uasu.

The disillusioned union members exuded confidence when the Kenya Kwanza administration took over.

“We were optimistic the new government will listen to our pleas but it seems nobody is bothered with the financial crisis at Egerton University,” said an angry don.

Nine months after Kenya Kwanza was sworn in, the financial crisis at Egerton University has worsened.

Nine months after Kenya Kwanza was sworn into office, the financial crisis at Egerton University has worsened.

Education experts

The 84-year-old institution has announced plans to sack lecturers and scrap eight degree courses in a restructuring move that has drawn mixed reactions from education experts and the public.

Vice-Chancellor, Prof Kibwage, said the move would play a key role in improving the financial stability of the institution while addressing risks such as frequent strikes.

Prof Kibwage also announced that the university would retrench more staff in order to stay afloat.

However, the union is unperturbed by the university's plan to send some of the lecturers home.

“Let us remain hopeful and focused as we wait for guidance and direction from the union (national office),” said Dr Kibue.

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