Magoha roots for phased Sh8.8bn lecturers’ salary deal payment

The Education ministry is pushing for phased payment of the Sh8.8 billion lecturers’ package after the allocation was not factored in the current financial year.

In a meeting with unions representing university staff in Nairobi Wednesday, Cabinet Secretary George Magoha reportedly told the officials that only Sh6.6 billion will be factored in this year’s supplementary budget

The remaining Sh2.2 billion, part of increased pay negotiated in 2017-2021 Collective bargaining agreement (CBA), will be factored in the 2020/2021 budget, Prof Magoha said.

The latest development is set to prolong the wait by the teaching and non-teaching staff who had hoped the increase would come immediately after the CBA was signed last year in October.

Prof Magoha told the union leaders that the ministry would submit a Cabinet paper on pay increase in the next meeting set for January 30.

“We will only get a hike for three years. We have given the government benefit of doubt, but let’s see,” said a union official who attended the meeting.

The official said the Prof Magoha urged them not to paralyse learning in public universities, but instead give dialogue a chance.

Universities academic staff union (Uasu), which had threatened to call the strike, said the final decision will be made by the national executive council.

“We met and discussed the issue, but there was nothing new he (Prof Magoha) told us,” said Uasu Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga.

He maintained that the union’s top decision organ will met on Friday in Nairobi to make a decision on strike noting that as a secretary general he cannot make final decision on the issue.

Dr Wasonga also added that the issue will be raised in an ongoing case in court over the CBA. Kenya Universities Staff Union (Kusu), which has 13,719 members could not be reached for comments but Secretary- General Charles Mukhwaya had earlier on indicated that the union will be more focused on dialogue as opposed to strike.