Learning in Several universities have been paralyzed as the University academic staff union down down their tools over what they term as discrimination by the government .
Lecturers participating in the strike include those from; The Technical University of Kenya (TUK), Karatina University, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology (JKUAT), South Eastern Kenya University (SEKU), Multimedia University, Maasai Mara University, Chuka University, and Cooperative University.
Lecturers from UASU and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) have taken to street following their strike notice on 11th September
University dons led by UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga have vowed not to return to classes days after they attended a meeting with Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba which flopped after the talks failed to lead to something substantial.
“ It’s not feasible to continue earning the same in an environment where everything has gone up and our purchasing power eroded,” Charles Mukhwaya KUSU Secretary-General stated after attending a meeting on the strike with PS for Higher Education on Wednesday.
On his part, UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga stated that his union’s members could no longer operate on promises and will only accept a tangible solution before calling off their strike.
“We don’t eat promises and promissory notes. We don’t care if it takes years. If they come with promises, we’ll reject them. We want something tangible,” he said after the meeting on Wednesday.
UASU & KUSU are agitating for the government to address several issues including; discriminative medical cover, the conclusion of a local Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), annual salary increments, staff promotions, proper staff placement to appropriate notches and the improvement of poor working conditions.