University Staff Petition Parliament Over Four-Year Salary Dispute

Public university workers have appealed to the National Assembly to intervene in resolving a four-year salary dispute that has disrupted higher education and strained relations between unions and the National Treasury.

The petition was submitted by University Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary General Dr. Constantine Wesonga Opiyo and Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU) Secretary General Dr. Charles Mukhwaya.

While reading the petition to the House, Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss highlighted the long-standing disagreement over the final figures owed to about 30,000 public university staff.

According to the petitioners, the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) and UASU signed the 2017–2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) on October 28, 2019, which was later registered by the Employment and Labour Relations Court.

“To fund the 2017–2021 CBA, Parliament approved in May 2020 the Supplementary II Budget Estimates for the FY 2019/2020, which contained the allocation for the CBA and subsequently appropriated the funds under the Supplementary Appropriations Act, 2020,” the petition reads in part.

The unions said the National Treasury, through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MOEST), disbursed Sh6.6 billion to public universities on July 3, 2020, as partial funding for the CBA to cover part of the salary arrears. The remaining Sh2.2 billion was expected to be included in the 2021/2022 budget, but the Treasury only allocated Sh2 billion, leaving a shortfall of Sh200 million.

They further noted that the failure to pay salaries as per the registered 2017–2021 CBA amounts to a breach of the terms and conditions of service for university staff, including professors, lecturers, tutorial fellows, and graduate assistants.

“The matter was taken to the Employment and Labour Relations Court and later proceeded to the Court of Appeal, which ruled in favor of the unions and issued interim orders for partial implementation,” said Deputy Speaker Boss.

The petitioners also disputed the computation by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), arguing that the total cost of implementing the CBA stands at Sh16.57 billion, including pensions and liabilities—not Sh8.8 billion as stated by SRC.

The workers, including lecturers and non-teaching staff, are also pushing for immediate talks on their next pay deal. “We will not return to work until even the new 2025–2029 CBA is discussed and agreed upon,” they said, linking the settlement of pending arrears to the start of fresh negotiations.

In accordance with Standing Order 225(2)(b), Deputy Speaker Boss referred the petition to the Departmental Committee on Education, chaired by Julius Melly, for further deliberation. The committee is expected to meet with the National Treasury and the Ministry of Education next week.