Kenya Public Universities Face Staff Pay Crisis: Government Intervention Urgently Needed

Kenya’s public universities are facing an escalating crisis over staff pay, with mounting concerns regarding the sustainability of funding for academic salaries. The University Academic Staff Union (UASU) is demanding urgent government intervention to take full responsibility for the payroll of over 30,000 academic employees nationwide.

Recently, lecturers at the Technical University of Mombasa (TUM) initiated a strike to protest delayed and inadequate salary payments. This industrial action follows similar protests at other institutions, underscoring a pervasive funding issue in Kenya’s higher education system. UASU National Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga has been vocal about the need for change, urging the government to finance university staff salaries directly from the national Exchequer instead of relying on unstable revenue streams such as tuition fees and capitation grants.

Several universities, including TUM, Moi University, and Tom Mboya University, have reported significant challenges in disbursing salaries on time. The financial strain has been exacerbated by a recent government funding model, which was later quashed by the courts, leading to a shortfall in fee payments from students and their families. This funding gap not only disrupts the regular payment of lecturers but also threatens the overall stability of public higher education.

Dr. Wasonga argues that if the government assumes complete control of the payroll, it could secure timely and reliable salary payments, thereby reducing the frequency of industrial actions and restoring confidence in the educational system. This direct intervention is seen as essential to stabilizing the financial environment in Kenya’s public universities and ensuring that academic staff can continue delivering quality education without interruption.

The ongoing crisis highlights the urgent need for reform in education funding policies. With immediate action, Kenya can safeguard its academic workforce and maintain the integrity of its higher education institutions for the future.