Lecturers scoff at state claims on Sh624 million debt

University lecturers have laughed off claims by the government that they are only owed Sh624 million instead of Sh7.9 billion.

The University Academic Staff Union (Uasu) accused the government of attempting to implement the 2017/2021 and 2021/2025 Collective Bargaining Agreements.

Uasu Secretary General Constatine Wasonga said they  negotiated for a basic salary amounting to Sh13.8 billion and a pension component of Sh2.76 billion, which was 20 per cent of the basic salary, totaling to Sh16.57 billion during the 2017/2021 CBA.

These figures, he said, were ratified by the court in January 2021, and the government has only paid Sh8.6 billion

"If you minus, the balance is Sh7,974,630,447. The audit is over," said Dr Wasonga, adding that would be "the outcome" of an audit meeting they have been called on October 9, 2025.

"That will be the outcome. I want to tell the government.  Ministries of Education, the Treasury and Labour were represented in court. The Attorney General was in court. Salaries and Remuneration Commission was in court. We shall not allow you to review the judgment through the back door," he said.

The Uasu Secretary General spoke on Wednesday at the University of Nairobi graduation square, where he led lecturers in a procession to Parliament Buildings, the Treasury, Education and Labour Ministries to push for payment of the money owed to them by the government and start negotiations of the 2025/2029 CBA.

Appearing before the Senate on October 1, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba said: “The second issue was on the 2017-2021 CBA. Under that Collective Bargaining Agreement, the lecturers argue that there was an amount of Sh7.9 billion to be paid. However, SRC says Sh7.2 billion of the money was paid, leaving a balance of Sh624 million."

However, lecturers accused the Ministry of disobeying court decisions, insisting that "there is no doubt about what the court said with regard to implementation of the CBA."

"We are not discussing. Otherwise, we are only asking for implementation of that CBA in total. We are not relenting on that one. We are not leaving it. We are not sacrificing. Four years down the line, that money has lost value. Can it be paid forthwith?" Paused UASU national chairperson Grace Nyongesa.