Sh7.9bn or Sh624m? No end in sight for lecturers’ strike as ministry, dons clash

Lecturers

The lecturers’ strike, now in its third week, shows no sign of ending as the Ministry of Education and the dons remain locked in a dispute over outstanding dues.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba disclosed that the government only owes lecturers Sh624 million from the 2017–2021 collective bargaining agreement.

This sharply contrasts with lecturers’ claims that the government still owes them Sh7.9 billion from the CBA.

“Under that CBA, they argue that there was an amount of Sh7.9 billion that was to be paid. However, the SRC informs us that Sh7.2 billion has already been settled, leaving a balance of Sh624 million,” Ogamba told senators.

The conflicting figures have now deepened the standoff, threatening to prolong the strike and disrupt learning in public universities across the country.

Thousands of students have already been affected since the industrial action began three weeks ago. Already, students have threatened to join the strike.

At the same time, Ogamba revealed the sorry state of stalled infrastructure projects in the institutions of higher learning, saying at least Sh9 billion is needed to complete them.

“We have serious deficiencies in infrastructure funding, and many lecture halls and other projects remain incomplete,” he said.

The CS appeared before the Senate plenary to respond to questions from lawmakers on the state of education in the country.

“What is the current situation of infrastructure in the universities, and the industrial action or strikes by lecturers across the country?” Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei posed to the CS.

The Universities Academic Staff Union issued a seven-day notice barely after the academic year had commenced, and proceeded with the strike after accusing the government of failing to honour their CBA.

Lecturers want the state to settle Sh7.9 billion outstanding from the 2017-2021 CBA and also commence new talks for the 2025-2029 CBA.

Last week, Uasu secretary general Constantine Wesonga asked the government to honour a court judgement and an advisory from the Attorney General of April 10, 2025, advising the Ministry of Education to settle the Sh7.9 billion.

However, CS Ogamba did not speak about the alleged court order and the Attorney General’s advisory. Instead, he maintained that there exists a court order stopping the strike.

The CS said his ministry has cleared more than 90 per cent of the outstanding amount.

“There is a question of how much is outstanding; what the unions are asking for, and what the government is saying it owes them,” he said.

Ogamba said the ministry has already released Sh2.73 billion, with a similar amount set to be released in June next year to complete the implementation of the 2021-25 CBA.

“As far as the CBA of 2021-25 is concerned, the issues have been addressed,” Ogamba told senators.

The CS said the disagreement has perpetuated the strike. Already, according to the CS, the government has appointed a conciliator to lead the talks to reconcile the figures.

Yesterday, senators put the CS on the spot on the troubles facing universities, ranging from dilapidated and inadequate infrastructure to the lecturers' strike.

“When will this government start respecting the proceeds of legal processes such as CBAs? Can the CS tell us why lectures are on the streets for three weeks?” Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna posed.

“And the students have told us that if the matter is not resolved today, they will join the strike. What is going on?”

The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection appointed Richard Litaba as the conciliator.

The parties are set to meet on Monday at the Employment and Labour Relations Court to hear the outcome of the process.

“The discussion and negotiations have been going on to see the real point of what the issue is. But this country being what it is, the facts are crowded in the noise,” he said.

“The real issue is the 2017-21 CBA, in which verification of how much money is due for us to be able to move to the next stage of how it's going to be settled is what is pending.”

Concerning the negotiations for the 2025-29 CBA, which is also at the centre of the strike, Ogamba said that already two meetings have been held.

The CS said new CBAs are negotiated at the onset of the cycle, in this case, 2025-16, which started in July.

“We had agreed that this CBA needs to be negotiated at the beginning of the cycle. The cycle has just started, and we are within that period,” he said.

The striking lecturers have accused the government of stalling negotiations for the new CBA, triggering the strike.

The strike, which started days after the new academic year began, has stalled learning in all 42 public universities.

First-year students, who had just reported to campus when the strike commenced in the first week of learning, have been the hardest hit.

INSTANT ANALYSIS

On Monday, a group of student leaders from various universities threatened to stage protests across their campuses to pressure the government and UASU to end the stalemate.

The student leaders, who met Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka in Karen, Nairobi, said it was becoming increasingly expensive to continue staying on campus idle, as they exhausted their resources, which include HELB funds.