UASU secretary general Constantine Wasonga has condemned the threats and forceful directives issued to lecturers to force them to go back to work. The UASU boss has insisted the dons’ strike is still on and that they won’t go back to work until the 2017-2021 CBA is negotiated and implemented. Addressing the press on Tuesday, Wasonga said lecturers in some universities have faced police brutality and aggression, “There are a number of public universities where police have been brought in to force university workers to go back to work, that is Masinde Muliro University, Maasai Mara University, Pwani University and Kenyatta University,” he said.
He refuted claims that lecturers are comfortable with a Kshs 2 billion offer and are ready to go back to work, saying what the dons want is Kshs 40billion and what will be negotiated is how the deal involving the Kshs 40 billion will be implemented.
He insisted that learning can’t take place when lecturers are teaching at gunpoint, adding that should anything happen to the lecturers the University managements will be held responsible. Wasonga said the union welcomes the government’s decision to form an inter-ministerial committee to come up with a counter-offer, however, he faulted their reluctance to present the counter offer although they’ve already come up with an offer, “We were taken aback when the PS said they are waiting for concurrence with the national treasury. The national treasury was part of that committee so which concurrence are they waiting for?” he posed.
On his part, KUSU secretary general Dr. Charles Mukhwaya said the national government and IPUCCF have so far failed to table the much anticipated counter-offer, “The little effort the government has put in to set up an interministerial committee has not yielded anything either. No counter offer has been presented and that’s why we are saying the strike is still on,” he said.
