Lecturers Want CS Ogamba To Resign, Issue Fresh Strike Notice
In December, the lecturers expressed their shock at receiving their salaries without any increment
Marvin Chege 
University lecturers under the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) have threatened to strike again on January 15, 2025, if the government fails to pay December salaries along with all arrears from September.
Issuing a 15-day ultimatum, the union on Wednesday, January 1 bemoaned the government's repeated promises, including a letter from the Ministry of Education to implement the salary increments of the 2021-2025 collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
In December, the lecturers expressed their shock at receiving 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. Furthermore, they now want Education Cabinet Secretary (CS) Julius Ogamba to resign, accusing him of failing to ensure implementation.
UASU Secretary General Constantine Wesonga in a past event. /UASU
The union warns that the next strike will be tougher, with Ogamba yet to respond to its lamentations by the time of publishing this story.
On November 23, 2024, UASU called off their three-week-old strike which disrupted operations across all universities in Kenya since September 2024.
The lecturers had officially agreed to return to work following the signing of a return-to-work formula with the Inter-Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF).
This deal included the government's commitment to fully implement the 2021–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which was valued at Ksh9.7 billion.
The implementation was to occur in three tranches, with the first tranche of Ksh4.3 billion covering nine months up to June 2025. The remaining Ksh5.4 billion would be disbursed in two instalments of Ksh2.7 billion each.
As part of the agreement, all legal cases arising from the recent lecturers' strike were withdrawn. To address the disruption caused by the strike, UASU Secretary-General Constantine Wesonga assured stakeholders of measures to recover lost academic time.
This resolution marked the end of a prolonged standoff between lecturers and university administrations, providing relief to students and parents affected by the disruption. The strike had paralyzed learning across all 35 public universities and constituent colleges for nearly a month.
A few days ago, the National Assembly Committee on Education held a meeting with UASU representatives, the Inter-Public Universities Council Consultative Forum (IPUCCF), and the Inter-Ministerial Committee. The lecturers' union had refused to return to work until the government affirmed its plan to pay the lecturers the remaining Ksh5.46 billion.
During the meeting, Wasonga confirmed the union's willingness to accept the initial amount provided the government committed to a clear payment timeline for the remaining Ksh5.46 billion over the next two financial years.
