Public university workers down tools as nationwide UASU strike begins

Learning has been paralysed in various universities across the country as the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) strike over a dispute surrounding the 2021-25 collective bargaining agreement.

Lecturers from multiple universities hit the streets on Wednesday morning as their strike officially began.

This comes less than a week after students, who had been protesting against the new higher education funding model, ended their strike following government intervention.

Among the universities represented in the lecturers' strike are Technical University of Kenya, Karatina University, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), South Eastern Kenya University (SEKU), Multimedia University, Maasai Mara University, Chuka University, and Cooperative University.

Lecturers and workers from Multimedia University protest over a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that was only partially paid and remains unpaid in full for the period from 2017 to 2021. At the same time, students also protested against police brutality. pic.twitter.com/NU0ALtN0OW

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UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga stated that both unions will continue negotiations with the government while their members remain on strike.

"I woke up at 2 am and coordinated with all branch secretaries and I want to thank them because they have responded to the call of the union. We are ready for talks but we will strike until we strike a deal," he said.

Wasonga noted that other public service employees were given recently given a seven to 10 per cent salary hike.

"We are also government employees. We want the seven to 10 per cent other public sector employees were given," he stated.

The Secretary-General emphasised that they do not apologise for striking, as Article 41 of the Constitution grants them the right to take such action.

"If from September 4, 2020, you did not know what you're doing, you better resign. Whoever sat on our proposal up to 2024 and is still asking for more time should resign," he added.