With the start of a new year and a new decade, an already looming battle between the government and the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) might just be around the corner.
The UASU Secretary General Constantine Wesonga has already told the government to get ready for a fierce tussle geared towards salary increments for UASU staff.
Over 9,000 lecturers from 35 public universities have already vowed not to step into the lecture halls, with the universities opening on Tuesday next week.
This might be a blow mostly to learners who are in their final years of study, hoping to graduate by the end of 2020.
"If new salaries will not have reflected in our accounts by January 6, then we shall call upon all lecturers and other staff into a strike, which will prevail until all matters will have been addressed," Mr Constantine Wesonga told the media
As per Wesonga, the 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA had awarded UASU a total of Sh13.8billion, which differs from the Sh8.8billion according to Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
"We will allow the government time to harmonize everything. SRC drew a new salary structure amounting to Sh8.8billion, of which we do not know the criteria they used. Our November 13 national delegates conference already allowed us to hold a strike should a dispute resolution fail," added Mr. Wesonga.
Mr. Wesonga's statement contradicted that of the acting University of Nairobi Vice-chancellor Mr. Isaac Mbeche who last week pointed out that the lecturers had settled on the Sh8.8billion deal instead of the negotiated Sh13.8billion issue. Mbeche added that the issued was agreed by universities to prevent the already impending national strike.
SRC on the other side claimed that the Sh13.8billion deal was arrived upon wrong calculations for university staff salaries, calling upon the Inter Public Universities Council Consultative Forum to ensure correct computation for the figures in question.