Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos has clarified the government’s stance on the recent collapse of salary negotiations with university lecturers, distancing President William Ruto from the dispute.

During an appearance before the Senate, Migos revealed that a disagreement over salary increments led members of the University Academic Staff Union (UASU) to go on strike at midnight on October 29. He cited a miscalculation in the percentage increase as the primary reason for the stalled talks.

According to Migos, the government and UASU had initially agreed to raise salaries by between 7% and 10% in their 2021-2025 National Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), signed in 2019. However, differences arose over the exact figure, with UASU claiming the government’s offer fell short by Ksh5 billion.

“The issue between us and UASU on the lecturers’ return-to-work formula stems from a calculation difference. We agreed on a 7% to 10% increment, but the figure proposed by the government differs from UASU’s by approximately Ksh5 billion,” Migos explained.

Migos noted that the government’s calculations, including a 4% annual increment, brought the total to Ksh4.3 billion. In contrast, UASU estimated that meeting the 7%-10% raise would require around Ksh9 billion.

“When we simulated the numbers, there was nearly a Ksh5 billion discrepancy. We’re now trying to understand the cause of this calculation difference,” Migos added.

Despite the disagreement, Migos pledged to continue discussions with UASU to reach a mutual agreement on a fair increment, hoping to end the ongoing strike.