Highest paid lecturer to get Sh1m in arrears after deal

University Academic Staff Union National secretary General Dr. Constatine Wasonga and Inter Public Universities Council Consultative Forum chairman Prof. Paul Kanyari exchange documents after signing a 2013-2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) concluding 54 days strike has paralysed learning and research at all public Universities. This was held at Jacaranda Hotel Nairobi. ON 13/03/2017 PHOTO: JENIPHER WACHIE ON 13/03/2017 PHOTO: JENIPHER WACHIE

The details of the salary deal that will see the highest paid university academic staff take home up to Sh1 million in accumulated arrears can now be revealed.

The lowest paid professor who earns Sh144,672 will now take home Sh170,050 a month. This translates to accrued arrears of Sh745,953, which must be paid by the end of June this year.

And the least paid academic staff – an assistant lecturer – will now earn Sh82,037, up from Sh69,794, with the highest paid set to take home Sh117,121, up from Sh99,642.

All university academic staff members will enjoy a house allowance of 3.9 per cent. Assistant lecturers will earn a flat rate of Sh51,061 a month as professors take home Sh73,715.

It also means that all university academic staff members will enjoy a salary increase of 17.5 per cent.

"Payment of eligible academic members of staff shall be effected in full on a date not later than June 30, 2017," reads the return-to-work formula signed by the unions and university managements.

No worker will be victimised for taking part in the strike and each of them will receive their full salaries.

"The strike period shall be recognised as time worked so that all benefits and entitlements accrue without interruption, including but not limited to leave entitlements, salaries for January, February, and March 2017," reads the document.

Universities Academic Staff Union (Uasu) Secretary-General Constantine Wasonga yesterday said the deal was the best under the circumstances.

"We were running out of time because we should start talks for the 2017-2021 CBA and they had agreed to harmonise the salaries for all workers. It is a good deal," said Wasonga.

The details emerged a day after Uasu signed a Sh6 billion collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with public universities.

However, the workers of Maasai Mara University will only receive a salary increase of 12.9 per cent because their salaries were higher than those of their colleagues in other universities.

Maasai Mara staff will also not get an increase in house allowance because their rates are higher.

Payment schedules for the staff seen by The Standard reveal the salary adjustments for assistant lecturers, lectures, senior lecturers, associate professors, and full professors.

Arrears to be paid to assistant lecturers range from Sh359,869 to Sh513,771 for the lowest and highest paid respectively.

For lecturers, the lowest paid, who earns Sh83,361 a month, will now get Sh97,984. The highest paid lecturer will now earn Sh139,711, up from Sh118,861. Staff under this category will get accrued arrears of between Sh429,823 and Sh612,867 for the lowest and highest paid staff respectively.

A senior lecturer who earns Sh94,215 will now take home Sh110,742 a month while the highest paid senior lecturer is set to earn Sh158,967 from Sh135,243. The money to be paid to senior lecturers range from Sh485,788 to Sh697,335 for the lowest and highest paid staff respectively.

For associate professors, the least paid, who takes home Sh122,956, will now earn Sh144,524 as the highest paid who currently earns Sh172,960 will earn Sh203,300 a month. Associate professors will be paid accrued arrears of between Sh633,982 and Sh891,810 for the highest and lowest paid respectively.

And the highest paid professor, who takes home Sh211,753 a month, will now earn Sh248,898, translating to accrued arrears of Sh1.09 million.

House allowances will increase from Sh49,623 for all assistant lecturers to Sh51,601. Lecturers who received a house allowance of Sh53,167 will now get Sh55,286 a month.