Naema Celestine 
Faith Nyongesa
Members of the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) have officially started a nationwide strike in response to the government’s failure to implement promised salary increases.
The strike began on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, and has led to significant disruptions in educational activities, with empty lecture halls and students unable to attend classes or sit for exams.
During a press conference at the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) in Nairobi, Uasu Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga addressed the crowd of striking academic staff.
He expressed a strong mix of frustration and resolve, emphasizing that lecturers would not return to their posts until the government fulfilled its commitments regarding salary increments.
“We will not teach, mark or supervise exams until the government honours the agreement,” he declared
“We are aware you’ve been budgeting for a four percent automatic annual increment and you have not been paying members.”
Wesonga further accused the government of mishandling the financial concerns of lecturers, noting that while other public servants have received salary increases, lecturers have been left out.
“Dons are the most learned people in the society. If you can’t pay them well, then who is this person you are paying well?” Wesonga questioned
This strike is rooted in the government’s refusal to honor a return-to-work agreement that was negotiated with Uasu on September 26, 2024. The lecturers had been promised increases between 7% and 10% as part of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), but only a 4.5% increase has been approved, which remains unpaid.
Frustrated by what they see as a breach of trust, lecturers across the nation have decided to halt their work, insisting on receiving the full payments they were promised. The situation has escalated tensions between the academic staff and the government, highlighting the ongoing struggles for fair compensation in the education sector.
