Sh5.3 Billion Standoff Between Lecturers and Government Paralyze Learning in Public Universities

Sh5.3 Billion Standoff Between Lecturers and Government Paralyze Learning in Public Universities.

The ongoing dispute between the government and public university lecturers revolves around Sh5.3 billion, a disagreement that has stalled learning in public universities.

The Education Cabinet Secretary, Julius Migos Ogamba, attributed the issue to divergent simulations of agreed salary increments, as laid out in a return-to-work formula signed between the government and the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) in the previous month.

This formula stipulated a pay rise between seven and 10 percent.

Mr. Ogamba informed senators that the ministry’s simulation suggests an amount of Sh4.3 billion as payable to lecturers, whereas UASU’s calculations indicate Sh9.76 billion.

A meeting between the Cabinet Secretary and UASU officials later in the day, following the Senate hearing, saw the failure of a government-formed team to reach a consensus with the union.

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The Cabinet Secretary reported that the substantial discrepancy of nearly Sh5 billion in the figures remains under discussion to determine the reasons for the difference and to reach a compromise.

Financial Constraints and Budget Shortfall

The minister highlighted to legislators that a budget deficit across ministries has worsened due to the withdrawal of the Finance Bill, 2024.

The inability to meet the lecturers’ demands has resulted in a second strike in two months. The teachers resumed their work boycott on Tuesday after the government’s failure to implement the return-to-work formula signed at the end of September.

Documents seen by the Daily Nation revealed that the deal entailed a basic salary increment of seven percent for grades 13 to 15 and 10 percent for grades 10 to 12.

The agreement also includes an annual pay increase of four percent on the basic salary over the two-year cycle of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which commenced on July 1, 2023.

Additionally, it established retirement ages, setting it at 70 for graduate assistants, tutorial fellows, and assistant lecturers, and at 74 for senior lecturers, associate professors, and professors.

Breakdown of Joint Committee Findings

A joint committee comprising the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum, the Federation of Kenya Employers, and three university unions—UASU, the Kenya Universities Staff Union, and the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals, and Allied Workers—produced tabulations of the required figures to implement the CBA.

Their calculations estimated the implementation cost at Sh9.76 billion, which is more than double the amount required for the two-year backdated increment.

Scenario One

In the first scenario, basic salary costs would amount to Sh3.15 billion in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, and rise to Sh4.97 billion in the subsequent year. The 20 percent pension allocation would be Sh631.4 million in the first year and Sh985.19 million in the second.

Scenario Two

An alternative scenario would see costs reaching Sh9.67 billion, with similar figures for the first year but a Sh70.52 million reduction in the basic salary component.

This scenario projects Sh6.45 billion for the seven and 10 percent salary adjustments, Sh1.68 billion for the four percent annual increment, and Sh1.62 billion for pensions, totaling Sh8.1 billion.

Return-to-Work Agreement and Strike Suspension

Last month, the unions called a general strike over delayed negotiations on the pay agreements, resulting in the establishment of an inter-ministerial committee that facilitated the signing of a return-to-work formula on September 26.

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According to this agreement, the employer was to immediately adjust the basic monthly salary as advised by the inter-ministerial committee: a seven percent increment for Grades 13A, 14A, and 15A, and 10 percent for Grades 10A, 11A, and 12A. The revised pay scales are expected to reflect in the October salary.

Sh5.3 Billion Standoff Between Lecturers and Government Paralyze Learning in Public Universities.

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