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Lecturers in public universities have threatened to go on strike in two weeks should the government fail to address unpaid December salaries and arrears dating back to September 2024.

The University Academic Staff Union (UASU) has given the government a 15-day ultimatum to fulfil their promise, saying that failure to meet their demands could lead to widespread university disruptions, affecting learning institutions nationwide.

The ultimatum, which began on Wednesday, also calls for the implementation of the 2021-25 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). University lecturers have vowed to go on strike in two weeks if their demands, including a salary deal reached last year, are not met.

“We agreed that the new salaries for university lecturers will be implemented in December and that we would also receive arrears for the month of October and November,” said UASU Organising Secretary Onesmus Mutio.

New salary scale

According to Mutio, the government had committed to implementing new salary scales by December 2024, including arrears for October and November. Despite a directive from the Principal Secretary instructing universities to prepare for these payments, lecturers did not receive the promised adjustments by the end of December.

This is not the first time the government has faced criticism over the matter. UASU had previously called off a strike on November 23, 2024, after reaching an agreement with the Ministry of Education. “The government did not honour the return-to-work formula and therefore we are forced to go back again on strike in November,” he added.

The resolution followed the government’s pledge to fully implement the Sh9.7 billion CBA, which was initially negotiated after a protracted strike that began on September 18, 2024.

Tensions eased

The return-to-work deal, signed on November 25, 2024, temporarily eased tensions. However, Mutio expressed disappointment at the government’s failure to fulfil its promises, warning that lecturers would not return to work again until all outstanding payments were made.

“We saw a circular from the PS directing the universities to prepare to pay the new salaries in December, but again as we went for Christmas, the university dons went for Christmas without their new salaries as it was expected,” Mutio expressed his disappointment.

The National Treasury had promised to allocate the full CBA amount in the 2024/2025 financial year through Supplementary Estimates II. These funds were to be released in three phases: an initial Sh4.3 billion to cover nine months until June 2025, followed by two instalments of Sh2.7 billion each.

But in December, the lecturers were shocked to receive their salaries without any increment, despite a clear directive from Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala’s September letter to pay both salaries and increments. University officials claim they haven’t received funds from the government to implement the payments.

The lecturers had gone on strike on September 18 after negotiations between the government and their representatives collapsed. With the return-to-work formula signed, lecturers in public universities resumed academic activities on November 25.