Learning at South Eastern Kenya University (SEKU) came to a halt on Wednesday, 18th September 2024, as lecturers joined a nationwide strike called by the Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu) and the Kenya Universities Staff Union (Kusu).
SEKU became the latest of 35 public universities to boycott classes, further escalating a standoff between the unions and the government. The strike has left students stranded and lectures canceled, affecting thousands of learners as the situation remains unresolved.
Union leaders at SEKU expressed their frustrations over the delayed negotiations of the 2021-2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the government. They decried what they termed as the government’s reluctance to address key issues affecting university staff.
Speaking to reporters during the launch of the strike at the university, Uasu and Kusu leaders cited concerns about low pay, delayed salaries, and the non-remittance of statutory deductions such as pensions and health insurance contributions.
In addition to their grievances with the government, SEKU staff raised specific issues with the university’s management. These included what they described as a discriminatory medical cover, the lack of automatic annual salary increments, and failure to pay arrears.
SEKU’s location, 40 kilometers from Kitui Town, has also compounded the situation, with staff calling for a review of commuter allowances to better reflect the costs of traveling to and from the remote campus.
As the strike continues, SEKU, like many other institutions, faces significant disruptions. The unions remain adamant that they will not resume work until their demands are met, leaving the university administration and government in a race against time to resolve the impasse and restore normalcy in the institution.
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