Varsity students threaten to join dons’ strike if impasse not resolved in a week

Restless university students have threatened to join their lecturers in the ongoing strike if it the impasse is not resolved within this week.

Speaking to Nation.co.ke on Tuesday, Kenya University Students Organisation Secretary-General Fred Makajos said the strike had affected their academic calendar and could disrupt the plans of hundreds of students set to start industrial attachments in April.

“Students are idle [in] the universities while [a] majority are even yet to report.

“They chose to stay away when the lecturers gave a strike notice in December,” said Mr Makajos, who is also the chairman of the Maseno University Students Organisation.

“But if the strike persists for more than a week, we will join the lecturers [and] make some other decisions as deemed necessary by the students,” he said.

He said the strike could largely affect students pursuing education courses who are required to start their teaching practice in April.

Meanwhile, Maseno University lecturers have resorted to forming self-help groups and starting taxi businesses as a way of earning extra money following what they called the government's unwillingness to negotiate their pay rise.

DONS DOING TAXI BUSINESS

While telling the ministry of Education to “forget about quality work” in universities, the nearly 500 members of the University Academic Staff Union's (Uasu) Maseno chapter said they will continue engaging in businesses that will guarantee them better living conditions.

“Since the government is unwilling to negotiate a salary harmonisation and increase, we have decided to go into groups of about 20, contribute some funds and begin running favourable businesses,” said Uasu branch chairman Wycliff Odiwuor.

He said they were considering offering taxi, boda boda and other services to supplement their income.

“The government wants the dons to do donkey work with meagre salaries. But they should also forget about quality education.

"Quality cannot be achieved if we are not comfortable. We need good living conditions through remuneration,” said Dr Odiwuor.

The team joined their colleagues on their fourth day of the strike demanding that the government initiate talks towards the implementation of the 2013/2017 collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

HARMONISE SALARIES

The CBA seeks a 300 per cent pay hike and harmonisation of salaries with workers of the same academic levels in other fields.

The lecturers also claimed that they do not have teaching aids like sound projectors that would allow them to handle the rising numbers of students, with a single class at times accommodating 1,500 learners.

Dr Odiwuor said a brief meeting between their national union officials and the government at Nairobi’s Jacaranda Hotel on Monday had proved that the Jubilee administration is unwilling to bargain.

They accused the government of treating workers with contempt.

“After wasting government money to call a sitting at an expensive hotel, they only came to offer us a three per cent increment of the 300 per cent we are demanding. That is a joke. They are also unwilling to harmonise our salaries,” said the unionist.

He said the worth of a lecturer even goes beyond the percentage they are seeking.

“You are putting the vice-chancellors in an awkward position. They have a performance contract to sign but have a workforce that is not motivated,” said Dr Odiwuor.