Lecturers across public universities in Kenya are set to begin a nationwide strike on September 18, 2024, in response to delayed salary payments and unresolved demands. The University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (Kusu) jointly issued a seven-day strike notice on September 11, 2024.
The unions cite the government’s failure to finalize the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) as a key grievance. Uasu Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga emphasized that despite salary adjustments for other public sector employees since 2021, university staff have been neglected.
Dr. Wasonga announced that 30,000 university employees will withdraw their services next week if the government and university councils fail to meet their demands. “There will be no teaching or work activities in universities during this period,” he warned.
Uasu and Kusu further highlighted the economic strain on university staff due to the depreciation of the Kenyan shilling, rising living costs, and higher taxes. They criticized the government for what they called selective justice, granting pay raises to some sectors while ignoring university employees. Dr. Wasonga referred to this as a violation of their constitutional rights under Article 41-2A, which guarantees fair remuneration.
Kusu Secretary-General Charles Mukwaya expressed frustration with the government’s inaction, stating, “University staff cannot continue to bear the brunt of this neglect.” He reassured parents and students that the strike aims to draw attention to university workers’ challenges, not to disrupt education.
The unions also accused the Inter-Public Universities Council Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) of failing to harmonize allowances for university employees, further deepening pay disparities across the public sector.
