Sabina Wanjiru Chege. FILE
By NEVILLE OTUKI, notuki@ke.nationmedia.com
In Summary
- PCE chair Sabina Wanjiru Chege on Thursday summoned public university heads, ministry officials and union leaders to a meeting on Wednesday aimed at averting the strike.
- The University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) said it would consult its National Governing Council to delay the strike.
- The committee Thursday quizzed Uasu and the Kenya University Staff Union (Kusu) officials who claim that Sh3.9 billion was misappropriated by university heads.
Lecturers have called off a strike set to start
on Monday to allow for last-ditch attempts by the Parliamentary
Committee on Education to resolve their Sh3.9 billion pay dispute with
public universities.
The University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) said it
would consult its National Governing Council to delay the strike,
pending the outcome of talks called for Wednesday by House committee
chairperson Sabina Wanjiru Chege.
“Strike is the only language the government seems
to understand. We shall not hesitate to call for one if the matter is
not addressed,” said Uasu secretary-general Muga K’Olale.
Ms Chege on Thursday summoned public university
heads, ministry officials and union leaders to a meeting on Wednesday
aimed at averting the strike.
“We are going to send out invitation letters,” Ms
Wanjiru said, pleading with the unions not to resort to industrial
action after the two-week strike notice by Uasu lapses Friday.
Ms Chege said vice chancellors and college
principals, ministry and Treasury officials, unions representing
non-teaching staff in universities and the university councils would be
involved in the search for a common ground.
The committee Thursday quizzed Uasu and the Kenya
University Staff Union (Kusu) officials who claim that Sh3.9 billion was
misappropriated by university heads.
Uasu is the lecturers’ union while Kusu represents university professional staff including medical officers and registrars.
The money was part of a Collective Bargaining
Agreement (CBA) signed in 2012 in which the government awarded striking
lecturers Sh7.8 billion towards salary increase and house allowance. The
award covered two years starting from 2010.
The money was to be paid in two equal tranches, but the unions claim the last payout did not reach their members.
The unions Thursday published a notice terming the
Association of Public Universities of Kenya as “strangers” with regard
to the 2010-2013 CBA, which expired last year.
Mr K’Olale said University of Kabianga, Taita
Taveta University, Garissa University and Murang’a University colleges
were awarded CBA funds yet they were not part of the agreement.
He said workers had not received pay change advice
from universities, crippling efforts to negotiate a new CBA for the
2013-2016 period.
“The top managers are guilty. That is why up to
now they have not processed pay change advice for workers. They fear it
will reflect half of what we were entitled to,” said Mr K’Olale
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