President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration is facing a fresh wave of industrial paralysis across multiple sectors as workers threaten to down tools over unmet pay hikes.
The strikes set to begin this month, are expected to disrupt learning in all public universities as well as healthcare provision in state-owned hospitals.
University Academic Staff Union and Kenya National Union of Nurses have issued separate strike notices.
Knun issued a 21-day strike notice on December 23 last year over what the union termed discrimination of its members.
Uasu, whose members stayed out of lecture halls the better part of last semester, has also issued a 15-day notice, asking the government to honour the signed pay deal.
The developments are now placing additional pressure on Ruto’s administration which is already grappling with a serious economic headache.
Economic experts have in the past warned that prolonged strikes could harm the country’s prospects. Knun Secretary General Seth Panyako while announcing the strike, faulted the government for neglecting nurses, especially in the implementation of CBA.
“We have made resolutions as nurses at the national executive board that we are going to give 21 –day strike notice to all the 47 county governments,” Panyako said last week.
“As nurses, we have supported this government but it appears that our silence is being taken for granted. We will push this government to act.”
He warned that the strike will continue indefinitely until the government meets their pay demands. Uasu gave the government a 15-day ultimatum from January 1 to implement the 2021-25 CBA. Organising secretary Onesmus Mutio said the agreement to have the new salaries for university lecturers implemented in December has not been honoured. He said the agreement was that the December salary would include arrears for October and November.
“We saw a circular from the PS directing universities to prepare to pay new salaries from December but lecturers went for the holidays without the new salaries as was expected,” Mutio said.
The lecturers’ union called off its
strike on November 23 last year after
signing a return-to-work agreement
with the Ministry of Education.