Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has urged university students across the country to show solidarity with their lecturers as a strike due to lack of pay continues.
Speaking on Sunday, October 5, the MP said that lecturers deserve better remuneration and should not be pressured into accepting agreements that do not address their financial struggles.
As such, Babu called on students to take decisive action in support of their educators.
"I want to tell the comrades in this country that you must stand with your lecturers and close the universities.
"The lecturers must be paid, and lecturers should not agree to sign anything if there is no money in their pockets. To the teachers, the salaries you earn are not proportional to the work you do," he said.
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For nearly three weeks, lecturers have remained on strike, insisting they will not return to class until their concerns over the Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) are addressed.
They argue that the government still owes them Ksh7.9 billion from the 2021 CBA.
However, in an interview on Saturday, October 4, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi distanced his ministry from the lecturers’ strike, saying responsibility lies with the Ministry of Education and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).
He rejected claims that the Treasury had failed to play its role, noting that the government had already delivered on its financial commitments.
"In my view, the problem with the lecturers’ strike is not with the Treasury. The issue lies in the lack of understanding between the Ministry and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC). That’s where it needs to be resolved," he stated.
Mbadi pointed out that Ksh4.3 billion was released last year under Article 223 before being regularised in the Supplementary Budget.
He added that for the current financial year, Ksh2.7 billion was disbursed in full at the start, even though the allocation had been planned to be staggered.
"Last year, we entered into an agreement and allocated Ksh4.3 billion as agreed. The funds were released under Article 223 and later regularised in the Supplementary Budget. For this financial year, we committed to release Ksh2.7 billion, which we already disbursed at the beginning of the year even though it was supposed to be spread out over the course of the year. We decided to release it in full," he said.
Mbadi also cast doubt on the timing of the lecturers’ concerns, pointing out that the arrears being raised stretch back several years.
"I will also mention that the question of how much was actually owed is something I’ve only heard about. I don’t have the full facts. That matter lies with the Ministries of Education and Labour.
"From what I understand, there were amounts that were supposed to have been paid between 2017 and 2021. I don’t know what the lecturers were waiting for; if those payments were due in 2021 and were not made. I don’t understand why it has taken until 2025 for these concerns to be raised," he added.
