Academic activities at Turkana University College came to a standstill on Tuesday as members of the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) Turkana Chapter launched a strike, protesting the government’s failure to fulfill a promised salary increment.

Cleophas Nyakundi, chairman of the UASU Turkana Chapter, announced that they were initiating the second phase of their strike, citing the government’s lack of action on their agreed-upon salary increase.

UASU Turkana Secretary General Beatrice Mbori expressed frustration with the government, pointing out that promises made during negotiations in Machakos County remain unfulfilled. She stated that even the 2013-2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) had not been implemented, a failure that had forced university lecturers across Kenya to unite in demand for fair treatment.

Salary increments

“The government has ignored the agreed-upon salary increments for Grades 10 through 15, especially those at Grades 11, 12, and 13, who bear the bulk of the workload,” Mbori said.

Mbori elaborated that the return-to-work formula agreed upon in Machakos included annual salary increments of 10 percent, 7 percent, and 4 percent, none of which have been reflected in recent payrolls. Despite receiving their recent paychecks, lecturers saw zero increments, further fueling their discontent.

She questioned, “What does the government want? It’s as though we’re dealing with a stone—a government unyielding and unresponsive. But even if it doesn’t want to listen, we need it to keep its word.”