University of Nairobi’s 48th graduation was almost postponed due to picketing by the University’s teaching and non-teaching staff two days before the graduation.
Prof. Magoha, VC UoN, revealed the staff threatened the graduation ceremony due to pending salary negotiations while blaming the Government for not honoring agreements with the University unions.
“The two-day stoppage of work at this university early this week in the name of picketing almost paralyzed this graduation ceremony. To avoid such situations in future I’m requesting the government to prioritize agreements with unions so that relations do not deteriorate to the level of withdrawing labour.”
The Universities Academic Staff Union (UASU) and the Universities Non-Teaching Staff Union (UNTESU) called for the industrial action just two months after their last strike.
Following a two-week strike by university workers in September, the government agreed to a 33 percent salary and 14 percent housing allowance increase.
The increments backdated to July 2010 and binding until June 2013 will cost the tax payer Sh7.8 billion and is to be implemented in two phases after Finance Minister Njeru Githae cautioned that there was not enough money to implement the increments in full in the current fiscal year.
Presidential candidate Peter Kenneth, was among the graduands at UoN graduating with a Masters degree in Law.
