Kenya: UASU Wants Govt to Employ More Lecturers in Public Universities to End Persistent Shortage

8 October 2022
Capital FM (Nairobi)

Nairobi — University dons have urged the new government to urgently employ more lecturers in public universities so as to end a shortage that has persisted for years.

The University Academic Staff Union (UASU) Secretary General Dr. Constantine Wasonga said lack of enough lecturers in institutions end up compromising academic quality hence the need for an urgent solution.

He said many public universities have insufficient lecturers, a challenge that has remained unresolved for years by successive governments.

"We want the government to allocate the money for mass recruitment of lecturers in the public universities, the government came with a policy of 100% transition and the lecturers are still the same in the public universities, universities are now relying on part-time lecturers. Then absorb those part-time lecturers and pay them well" Dr. Wasonga said at a press conference.

Besides mass recruitment of lecturers, UASU also wants salaries for lecturers in public universities harmonized.

UASU has also threatened to mobilise lecturers at Egerton University for a strike if the management fails to pay lecturers all their dues.

"The national university council has resolved that it is going to give a 7-day strike notice to Egerton university management and the government that failure to pay everything that is owed to university staff, Egerton university staff are going to down their tools," he said.

The university is accused of non-implementation of Collective Bargaining agreements(CBA) and failure to remit non-statutory deductions.

'

The Union also expressed their dissatisfaction with the government's decision to take up government-sponsored students to private entities.

In addition, the Union sends a resounding warning to the part-time lecturers in public universities not to engage with the universities because of their underpayment.

"And we are not going to allow the government to keep on taking government-sponsored students to private entities, those private entities knew where they were going to get students," he said.

Compose:

Read the original article on Capital FM.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2022 Capital FM. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.