Kenya: Education unions issue two-week strike notice
Public university lecturers and non-teaching staff have threatened to go on strike in two weeks’ time in Kenya. Led by union officials from the Universities’ Academic Staff Union (UASU), an EI national affiliate, as well as members of the Kenya University Staff Union (KUSU), they have urged the Government to order universities to release the money which is owed to staff, i.e. 3.9 billion Kenyan shilling (around 39,000,000 euros).
“We will not stop our efforts until universities authorities give us what they owe us,” said UASU General Secretary Muga K'Olale, speaking at the Maseno University on 26 February. “We fought very hard to be awarded the money by the government.”
Union officials said the strike will be more costly for the universities and called on them to release the money before the deadline expires.
EI: Overdue promises must be kept
“We strongly support our Kenyan colleagues,” said EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen. “We urge university authorities to engage in dialogue with organisations representing university education staff. They must keep their promises and pay money owed to their workers’, he said
He stressed that decent pay for education workers contributes to quality education at all levels.
