The Kenya Universities Staff Union (KUSU) has joined the strike at Moi University worsening the situation at the college where operations have remained paralyzed for the third week.....CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
That the country’s education sector is in a crisis, or to sound politically correct, staring at one, is not in doubt.
Student unrest has become an almost daily occurrence, as a consequence of which the Kabete National Polytechnic was on Tuesday shut indefinitely.
Learners went on the rampage complaining that school management had hiked fees and accommodation charges.
Their counterparts at the University of Nairobi have also issued a strike notice and may join lecturers on the streets soon.
The University of Nairobi Student Association (UNSA) issued a 14-day strike notice on Tuesday.
They are challenging the government’s decision to establish four committees to oversee loan disbursement.
Led by UNSA President Rocha Madzao, they argue that the Higher Education Loans Board (Helb) is sufficient to manage educational loans.
They say that additional bureaucracy will only slow down the process.
“We don’t see the point of a committee to review loans when we already have Helb,” Madzao said.
The team has been mandated by President William Ruto to analyse the structure of loans including interest rates, grace periods, and repayment periods.
The students have further questioned the rationale behind the government’s decision to prioritise infrastructure development instead of easing access to education.
“We will not pay for loans while the government takes more loans for projects that don’t benefit the common mwananchi. Why should they take billions of loans to invest in infrastructure while making us pay for loans for our education?” Madzao posed.
Strike affecting all 35 public universities
Lecturers are, on the other hand, leaving no breathing space for government either.
They activated their nationwide strike on Wednesday, September 18, affecting learning across all 35 public universities.
Dons and staff affiliated with the the University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) are agitated over stalled negotiations on the 2021-25 collective bargaining agreement which hasn’t been implemented since 2017.
Learning activities were paralysed on Wednesday as Machakos University workers and lecturers took to the streets in protest.
Uasu Secretary General Constantine Wasonga said the Inter-Public Universities Council Consultative Forum (IPUCCF) has been taking them in circles since September 4, 2020, when they tabled their proposals.
“So from September 4, 2020, if you are still asking for more time in 2024, then think twice. Other public service employees were given seven to 10 per cent [salary increment]. We are also government employees. We want the seven to 10 per cent that other public sector employees were given,” Wasonga said at the start of their strike on Wednesday.
The court, however, temporarily suspended the strike following an application filed by IPUCCF.
Justice Jacob Gakeri certified the matter as urgent and directed the parties to continue negotiating to resolve the disputed issues.
Lecturers and other workers at the University of Eldoret have joined the ongoing strike at all universities to push for the implementation of their 2021-25 collective bargaining agreement.
He set the mentioned date for October 2 when he will issue further directions.
In the interim, the judge stopped Uasu from calling or inciting other stakeholders to participate in any strike.
Word is yet to come from Education CS Julius Ogamba even as the crisis in universities coupled with a series of school fires in a number of secondary schools across the country remains a thorny issue that requires urgent attention…CLICK HERE FOR MORE ARTICLE>>>
