Mombasa, Kenya – Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba has ordered lecturers to immediately resume duty or face disciplinary action, accusing them of defying a High Court order that suspended their week-long strike.
Speaking in Mombasa on Tuesday, CS Ogamba said the government had already released Sh2.5 billion to address lecturers’ grievances and termed the ongoing industrial action as unlawful.
“Court orders are to be obeyed or else you will be in contempt…we have done a lot in the sector and we have agreed that all grievances can be addressed without us going on strikes that affect our learners,” Ogamba warned.
Members of the Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) began their strike last Wednesday, paralyzing learning in several public universities, including the University of Nairobi (UoN) and Maseno University.
The strike persisted even after the National Treasury disbursed Sh2.5 billion to implement Phase Two of the 2021–2025 Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).
UoN UASU Chapter Secretary, Dr. Maloba Wekesa, however, dismissed the government’s move, insisting that lecturers’ financial demands remain unmet.
“The State has failed lecturers. The pending arrears of Sh7.9 billion under the 2017 CBA have not been paid despite court rulings in our favor,” Wekesa said.
The lecturers argue that the released funds only address part of the current agreement, while historical arrears remain unsettled. The stalemate has left thousands of students stranded across the country, with academic calendars hanging in the balance.
The High Court’s suspension of the strike and the CS’s threat of disciplinary action now set the stage for a potential showdown between the government and UASU leadership.
