Public university workers’ unions announced a new strike notice on Tuesday, citing the government’s failure to honor the return-to-work formula signed on September 26.
The Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu) and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (Kusu) expressed frustration, claiming the government has not fulfilled its commitments, leaving them feeling deceived.
“Implement the return-to-work formula, or we will take to the streets again. We are giving the government only one week before we return to protests,” warned Uasu Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga.
He urged union members to “start jogging because the streets are calling.”
The unions explained that when they signed the agreement in September after a nationwide strike, the government committed to paying the basic monthly salary and including a salary increment of between seven and ten percent in the October paychecks.
They clarified that this increment was calculated as four percent of the basic salary for the two years of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) cycle from 2021 to 2025, starting July 1, 2023.
However, Dr. Wasonga stated that the government has yet to operationalize or implement the CBA.
“Our members expect the new salaries next week,” he said, warning universities not to process salaries without honoring the agreement.
“We will not hesitate to call another strike. If the CBA is not honored by Tuesday, we will be on the streets.”
The union stated that the government’s failure to comply is causing unnecessary tension and anxiety within the universities, threatening to disrupt industrial peace.
When the lecturers initially called off their strike, the government committed to fast-tracking the full operationalization of the return-to-work formula.
According to the 2021-2025 CBA, graduate assistants should earn between Kes.63,647 and Kes.97,988, assistant lecturers between Kes.107,872 and Kes.166,072, and professors should receive a minimum of Kes.224,631 and a maximum of Kes.345,816.
