Kirinyaga University lecturers have joined the swelling wave of unrest sweeping across public universities, declaring that they will no longer be pacified with promises while their pockets remain empty.
The dons, under the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU), said on Wednesday that the government’s failure to release Ksh2.7 billion for the second phase of their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) had pushed them to breaking point.
“We don’t consume promissory notes. We consume money. If there is no money, then there is a strike,” one fiery union representative declared.
The strike marks a dramatic escalation in the standoff between lecturers and the State, with the dons accusing Treasury of dragging its feet despite a legally binding CBA signed in November last year. The deal was structured in three phases, yet while Phase One was implemented in January, the second tranche—due in July—has been delayed for over two months.
“Enough is Enough”
Frustration ran high as lecturers accused the government of double-speak. They said they had remained patient and professional, diligently carrying out their duties even as their rights were trampled.
“We have kept our end of the bargain. Our members have been teaching, examining, mentoring. Yet the government keeps moving goalposts. Enough is enough,” a lecturer told reporters outside the Kirinyaga campus.
The dons also pointed to glaring government wastage in other sectors, contrasting it with what they described as a deliberate neglect of higher education.
Ogamba’s Last-Minute Gambit
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba attempted to douse the fire by announcing that Sh2.5 billion had already been released to universities to cover Phase Two of the CBA. He pleaded with lecturers to abandon their strike notice and return to dialogue, calling the move a gesture of goodwill.
But the union was unmoved. They insist that the full Ksh2.7 billion arrears must hit their accounts before they resume duties, dismissing Ogamba’s pledge to clear the remainder in two weeks as yet another hollow assurance.
“We are tired of boardroom talk. We want results. Pay us what we are owed. Nothing less,” the lecturers declared.
Nationwide Paralysis Looms
The standoff threatens to paralyze learning across the country, with thousands of students now staring at a disrupted academic calendar. UASU has made it clear that unless the Treasury honors the full agreement, the strike will spread to all public universities.
In Kirinyaga, the mood is one of defiance. The lecturers, normally accustomed to nurturing future professionals, now find themselves at the frontline of a battle for dignity, respect, and survival.
And their message to government is blunt: fund promises don’t teach classes. Money does.
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