UoN gets bulk of Sh7bn State offer for varsities staff

University of Nairobi will get the biggest share of Sh7 billion that the government has offered staff in higher learning institutions as part of their 2017-2021 collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

UoN has been allocated Sh1.1 billion, which is 16 percent of the offer, followed by Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) at Sh836million while Kenyatta University will receive Sh745million.

Newly established university colleges will get the lowest amount. Tharaka Nithi University college will get Sh24million same as Alupe University College in Busia.

UoN has 4,500 staff out of 27,000 staff in 32 public universities.

The revised counter-offer, which also promises the institutions additional Sh1.8 billion to cover the pension, was presented to Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu) which promised to study it before making a decision to accept or reject.

It was tabled yesterday at a meeting between lecturers and Inter-Public Universities Council Consultative Forum (IPUCCF).

The government had initially planned the pay increase implementation in two phases effective July 2019 but lecturers rejected the offer forcing universities to go back to Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) for more advice.

“We have received the offer. It is now in four phases, we will study it then meet on Wednesday to provide feedback to universities,” said Uasu Secretary- General Constantine Wasonga.

The Sh7 billion will be shared among the 27,000 staff of public universities. They include 9,000 lecturers.

According to the document, a professor currently earning a basic salary of between Sh170,681 and Sh248,898 will with effective July 2017 take home at least Sh180,434 andsee the amount rise yearly to at most Sh283,087 in July 2020.

The lowest paid lecturer (graduate assistant currently earning between Sh46,978 and Sh66,978 will from July 2017 earn between at least Sh49,666 and see the take home rise to a high of Sh82,552 in July 2020.

Lecturers in their proposal had indicated that graduate assistant should earn between Sh195,656 and Sh306,006.

Uasu also wanted associate professors to earn between Sh740,020 and Sh1.157,666 while professors pay was to be between Sh999,030 and Sh1,562,625.

Yesterday SRC chairperson Ms Lyn Mengich explained that their role is to advise the employer and not employees.